Heathrow Flights and Major European Hubs Disrupted as Snow, Strikes and Operational Failures Ground Hundreds
heathrow flights were among services disrupted as a combination of snowstorms, industrial action and airline operational problems produced widespread cancellations and delays across Europe. The convergence of weather and labor disruption left thousands of passengers stranded at major hubs and forced airlines and airports to shrink schedules amid safety and staffing constraints.
Heathrow Flights — Development details
The disturbance unfolded across a two-day period in mid-February, when a band of snow moved east through the Benelux states into Germany and a separate wave of thunderstorms and high winds struck parts of the UK and France. Across Europe, airlines cancelled more than 700 flights and logged over 5, 000 delays. At Amsterdam Schiphol, roughly half of one Sunday’s scheduled services were affected; by 6: 30 p. m. CET that day carriers had cancelled 119 departures and 98 arrivals. KLM recorded 147 cancelled departures and 102 delays, largely on short-haul Schengen routes.
In France, Paris Charles de Gaulle implemented a 30% reduction in flights while Paris Orly cut about 20% of its schedule, producing 196 cancellations across the country. In the United Kingdom, London Heathrow and Gatwick experienced significant disruption: British Airways cancelled 17 flights and delayed 211, while easyJet recorded 22 cancellations and 521 delays. Separately, British Airways and Air France together delayed 183 flights and cancelled 8 services, leaving travelers in cities including Paris, Edinburgh, London and Nice scrambling for alternatives.
The situation escalated further when a Lufthansa pilots’ and cabin crew walkout on February 16 grounded roughly 800 flights, affecting an estimated 100, 000 passengers at Frankfurt, Munich and other hubs and compounding the knock-on effects of weather-related interruptions.
Context and escalation
Eurocontrol instructed airlines to scale back operations heavily on the evening of February 15, asking for about a 60% reduction in flight movements between 5 p. m. and midnight to keep networks manageable as snow and ice created hazardous runway and ground conditions. Local accumulations outside central Paris—up to 5 centimeters in some departments—hampered road and runway access and forced airport managers to impose restrictions on ground operations, including limits on heavy truck movements within airport perimeters.
Airline-side operational strains amplified the weather impact. Crew shortages and aircraft maintenance issues limited operators’ ability to absorb delays and reassign aircraft, turning localized runway and de-icing slowdowns into longer-lasting cancellations. What makes this notable is the way separate stressors—meteorological extremes, targeted industrial action and routine operational shortfalls—aligned across peak travel dates to magnify disruptions into continent-wide traffic interruptions.
Immediate impact
Thousands of travelers faced missed connections, prolonged waits and the need to rebook on later flights or alternate carriers. Airports named among the worst hit included Amsterdam Schiphol, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Orly, London Heathrow and Gatwick, Frankfurt and Munich. The Lufthansa strike alone left roughly 100, 000 passengers stranded or rerouted, while the combined British Airways and Air France disruptions affected hundreds of additional services and passengers in the UK and France.
Operational responses varied: Paris CDG cut its schedule by around 30%, Schiphol and other hubs pulled significant portions of their timetables, and carriers limited operations on short-haul networks most exposed to snow and crew reallocation challenges. Airlines began offering rebookings and compensation where rules allow, and airport authorities imposed temporary movement restrictions to preserve safety and clear backlogs.
Forward outlook
Airlines and airport operators are working to restore schedules and accommodate disrupted passengers, with operators continuing rebooking and compensation actions where applicable. The immediate milestones are the reopening of reduced flight banks at affected airports and the resumption of normal aircraft rotations once weather abates and staffing levels recover. Eurocontrol’s earlier call to curtail evening movements on February 15 was a confirmed control measure during the acute phase, and the aviation community is focused on clearing the backlog of flights built up over the two disruption days.
Operational recovery will depend on clearing runways, restoring aircraft to service after maintenance holds, and reestablishing crew availability for return rotations. The near-term calendar includes scheduled restoration of services at the affected hubs and targeted reintroduction of cancelled short-haul sectors as resources allow.
