There have been close to 1,000 flight cancellations, mainly flights servicing French, Dutch and Belgian airports due to the snowstorm and ice hitting northern Europe amid subzero temperatures.
Graeme McQueen, spokesperson for Dublin Airport said that Dublin Airport will be fully operational on Tuesday despite Ireland’s own cold snap, but a small number of flights to and from affected countries have been cancelled.
“While we expect Dublin Airport to be fully operational on Tuesday, some disruption to flight schedules is possible due to weather issues at other airports.
“Airlines have already cancelled 8 flights scheduled for Tuesday, including three return services between Dublin and Amsterdam and one return service between Dublin and Brussels.
“Further disruption is possible. As always, passengers should contact their airline directly for the latest updates regarding the status of their flight,” Mr McQueen said.
This comes as heavy snowfall disrupted air, road and rail travel in France and the Netherlands on Monday, as hundreds of flights were cancelled in the countries’ capitals, while trains around Amsterdam came to a standstill and bus services in Paris were suspended.
A snowman at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Photo: Reuters/Gonzalo Fuentes.
Amsterdam Schiphol airport, one of Europe’s busiest hubs, cancelled about 700 flights on Monday as the airport closed to incoming traffic until 1200 GMT due to the snow, a spokesperson said. During that time, planes were diverted to other airports.
“There are long lines here,” a traveller stranded at Schiphol told Dutch media outlet AD. “There’s not too much clarity on what is actually going to happen.”
KLM announced a further 300 cancellations for Tuesday.
Meanwhile, France’s civil aviation authority asked carriers to reduce takeoffs and landings by 15pc or roughly 30 flights at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and 40 flights at Paris-Orly until the evening, according to Aeroports de Paris ADP.PA.
French transport minister Philippe Tabarot urged travellers to check if their flight was operating before leaving home, and to use public transport to reach the airport.
He also ordered speed restrictions on roads across the Ile-de-France region that surrounds Paris to 80 km per hour. State-owned RATP, which operates Paris’ public transportation, said it cancelled dozens of bus lines. Underground and suburban trains were operating normally.
A man skis on the snow-covered courtyard in front of the glass Pyramid of the Louvre Museum in Paris. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor
Today’s News in 90 Seconds, Tuesday, January 6
Traffic jams reached almost 1,000 km in total at one point on the roads of Ile-de-France, the website of the region’s prefecture showed, up from usual peaks of some 300 km.
Dutch railway company NS said no trains were operating in the region around Amsterdam and public transport was severely affected in many places. NS added that it would implement a “winter scheme” on Tuesday, with fewer trains in service.
International train operator Eurostar said trains originally scheduled to travel to the Netherlands would instead only run as far as Brussels in neighbouring Belgium. Eurostar train departures from the Netherlands on Monday were cancelled.
Ice and snow also caused many delays and accidents on the roads, even as authorities advised people to stay at home whenever possible.
Further delays and disruptions are expected in the coming days due to the ongoing winter weather.