US winter storm: Over 11,400 flights cancelled, Emirates, Etihad adjust services

A powerful winter storm continues to wreak havoc across the United States, grounding flights and stranding millions of passengers.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said weather and air traffic teams are monitoring conditions around the clock to ensure safety in the national airspace system, urging travellers to check real-time updates via the FAA and their airlines.

The storm has brought snow, sleet and freezing rain to areas home to more than 180 million people — over half the US population. Aviation analytics firm Cirium called it the largest cancellation event since the pandemic.

More than 11,400 flights were cancelled on Sunday alone, according to FlightAware, with cascading delays expected to continue for days.

Emirates has cancelled several flights from Dubai to New York on January 26, including EK203 (Dubai–New York) and EK204 (New York–Dubai). Passengers connecting through Dubai on these services will not be accepted at their point of origin.

The airline urged travellers to contact travel agents or Emirates directly for rebooking and said it continues to monitor conditions closely.

Etihad Airways also cancelled flights to and from New York JFK and Washington Dulles on January 25 due to airport closures and severe weather.

On January 26, delays were reported on several US–Abu Dhabi services, including a flight from Abu Dhabi to New York JFK which departed at 6.04am instead of 2.55am, arriving at 11.19am (US time). Etihad advised all travellers to check flight status before heading to airports.

At least 40 airports across the United States remain closed or are operating under restrictions on January 26, due to snow, ice, and strong winds, the FAA reported. Among them, Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas (LAS) are fully closed.

Operations at several airports are limited to essential or helicopter flights only. Boston Logan, in particular, remains closed to non-scheduled transient aircraft through Tuesday.

Further disruption is expected on January 27, with possible ground stops at major hubs including New York’s JFK and LaGuardia, as well as Philadelphia, Newark, Teterboro, and Washington Dulles. Boston Logan, JFK, LaGuardia, and other major airports may also experience delays due to runway treatment and ongoing snow removal operations throughout the day. 

FAA officials have begun extensive de-icing operations at several airports to maintain runway safety, including Albuquerque, Albany, Atlanta, Buffalo, Denver, Detroit, Manchester, Pittsburgh, and Providence.

By afternoon, operations had effectively ground to a halt at several key airports. LaGuardia suspended flights until 8pm, while Philadelphia cancelled 94% of its flights (326 flights). LaGuardia saw 436 cancellations (91%), JFK recorded 466 cancellations (80%), and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport cancelled all 421 departing flights.

Other affected hubs include Dallas-Fort Worth, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Detroit.

American Airlines cancelled over 1,790 flights (55% of its schedule), Delta over 1,470, Southwest over 1,340, United about 1,016, and JetBlue more than 590 (roughly 72% of its daily operations).

Aviation experts warn recovery will take several days. Vikrant Vaze, a Dartmouth professor specialising in commercial aviation logistics, said delays could ripple through airline networks even for passengers flying outside storm-hit regions. 

Passengers should brace for cancellations, long delays, and possible re-routing. US regulations require airlines to issue full refunds for cancelled flights — including baggage fees and seat upgrades — even for non-refundable tickets. Rebooking is typically offered subject to seat availability.

The FAA advises travellers to monitor airline notifications and airport conditions closely before heading to terminals. For real-time updates, visit fly.faa.gov.

Beyond the storm, the national air traffic system is under pressure from staffing shortages, airspace constraints, and ongoing runway construction. Ground delay programmes are in effect at Dallas-Fort Worth, while the risk of ground stops remains high at Boston, JFK, LaGuardia, Newark, Philadelphia, and Washington Dulles.

Thunderstorms across multiple en-route centres, military exercises, and scheduled space launches are further limiting airspace capacity, particularly on Florida, Gulf, and Northeast routes, compounding airline recovery efforts.