Schiphol Airport is preparing for another round of disruptions as Storm Goretti moves across Europe, threatening the Netherlands with snow, heavy rain, and strong winds. Airlines have already cancelled at least 70 flights to and from the Amsterdam-area hub in anticipation of deteriorating weather conditions.
Winter weather is expected to reach the airport around 5 p.m. on Friday, potentially bringing snowfall for the fifth time this week. Since January 2, airlines have cancelled around 3,600 flights at Schiphol as a succession of winter storms has battered the region.
Despite the mounting challenges, KLM transported approximately 100,000 passengers through Schiphol on Thursday. However, the airline warned that conditions could worsen later. “Bad weather is expected tomorrow evening, Friday, January 9. Therefore, KLM is preemptively canceling 80 flights to and from Schiphol. The outlook for the rest of the day is favorable,” the airline said in a statement issued Thursday evening.
Shortly after the announcement, Schiphol’s website showed 70 confirmed cancellations for Friday, including 45 departures – mainly KLM evening flights – and 25 inbound services.
“We are doing our utmost to rebook passengers onto the next available flight. By canceling flights now, we are providing our passengers with timely information, and preventing last-minute flight cancellations,” KLM said.
Operational problems at Schiphol have been intensifying for more than a week. Disruptions began with strong winds last Friday and Saturday caused by Storm Anna making landfall in northern Europe, followed by a windy and snowy Sunday and three additional days of snowfall.
Although conditions were relatively calm on Thursday, more precipitation was forecast to reach large parts of the Netherlands late in the evening and into Friday morning. The weather was expected to start as rain mixed with sleet before potentially turning to snow overnight.
Weather authorities issued warnings for snow and icy roads nationwide throughout Thursday and Friday, and for most of Saturday. While most of the country remains under a lower-level Code Yellow alert, a more serious Code Orange warning will be in effect from around midnight to noon on Friday in the northern regions of Drenthe, Friesland, Groningen, and the Wadden Islands, where conditions are expected to be particularly hazardous.
