As a wave of cold weather hits Europe, the Netherlands is experiencing its sixth day of snow. The wintery conditions are proving to be difficult for the aviation industry in particular, with Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport having cancelled at least 719 flights on Wednesday, 7 January 2026.
On Wednesday, 7 January 2026, up to 10 centimeters of snowfall were expected in some locations in the Netherlands, leading to an orange weather alert throughout the country. Schiphol Airport shared that due to the particular circumstances, only a small number of flights would be maintained. Both departing and arriving flights are impacted by the cancellations.
@cas.rnrs #schiphol ♬ origineel geluid – Cas
“Winter weather conditions and strong winds will continue to disrupt flight schedules on Wednesday. As a precaution, more than 700 flights have been cancelled. This number is expected to rise. These are mainly flights within Europe”, the airport wrote in a statement on its website at 10:00 am.
In the night from Tuesday, 6, to Wednesday, 7 January 2026, some 1,000 travellers were already obliged to spend the night at the airport due to previous cancellations. Camp beds were set up to accommodate them as well as possible, and travellers were offered breakfast at the airport.
Schiphol is urging anyone who is flying via the airport to check the most up-to-date flight information before leaving their home.
“If you see that your flight has been cancelled before departure, we urge you not to come to the airport. If you are already at the airport and your flight is cancelled, please leave the airport and go home or to an alternative place of accommodation. For more information, please contact your airline”, the airport wrote.
#1 most disrupted airport: Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS)
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) January 7, 2026
675 flights have been cancelled today — 59% of all scheduled departures/arrivals — due to strong winds and snowfall.
Weather right now:
Temp: 0°C
Wind: 180° / 20 kt pic.twitter.com/XXQ7ob3yZS
Further impact
As the aviation industry is not the only one to be impacted by the weather conditions in the Netherlands, and as many passengers travel by train to Schiphol, the company also advises checking the NS Travel Planner before departure in order to make sure their train connection remains operational.
Schiphzl is not the only European airport plagued by the harsh meteorological conditions. At Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, some 100 flights were cancelled on Wednesday. Moreover, public transport throughout the French capital suffered heavily from the unusual snowfall and frost, with people in the Paris region being urged to avoid unnecessary travel. On Tuesday, 6 January 2026, six people are said to have died in road incidents caused by the wintery conditions throughout France.
