Winter disruption at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport shows little sign of easing, with airlines continuing to cancel hundreds of flights each day as persistent snow, strong winds, and operational constraints take their toll on one of Europe’s busiest hubs.
On 6 January 2026, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines confirmed that it had been forced to cancel around 600 flights scheduled for 7 January due to ongoing snowfall combined with high winds. The airline said the severe conditions were continuing to affect both flight safety and ground operations at Schiphol.
Compounding the situation, KLM acknowledged that supplies of de-icing fluid were running critically low after days of constant use. Since 2 January 2026, the carrier has been using an estimated 85,000 litres of de-icing fluid per day to keep aircraft operational. KLM said its supplier, based in Germany, was unable to guarantee timely replenishment due to the scale and duration of demand.
As the primary provider of aircraft de-icing services at Schiphol, KLM took the unusual step of visiting its supplier directly to secure additional stock. The airline confirmed at 21:00 on 6 January that a fresh batch of de-icing fluid was en route back to Amsterdam in an effort to stabilise operations.
Schiphol Airport itself has warned that only limited air traffic would be possible on 7 January 2026, with short-haul European services expected to bear the brunt of the disruption. “As a precaution, more than 600 flights are cancelled. More cancellations are expected,” an airport spokesperson said.
According to flight monitoring service Flightradar24, 676 flights had already been cancelled at Schiphol on the day of reporting. A further 57 flights scheduled for 8 January 2026 were also pre-emptively cancelled.
Taken together, Flightradar24 data shows that over seven consecutive days of winter disruption, a total of 3,308 flights have been unable to operate from or to Schiphol Airport. The prolonged disruption has left thousands of passengers facing delays, cancellations, and ongoing uncertainty, as airlines and airport operators continue to battle one of the most challenging winter periods in recent years.
