600+ flights cancelled as cold snap hits Europe, winter travel chaos intensifies

At least six people have been reported killed in weather-related incidents across Europe amid a severe cold snap, with hundreds of flights cancelled and thousands of passengers left stranded at major airports including those in Paris and Amsterdam.

At least 600 flights had been cancelled at Schiphol, while Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport planned to cancel about 40% of flights.

The intense snowfall, icy conditions, and freezing temperatures have triggered widespread travel disruptions, affecting roads, railways, and air travel throughout the continent, with additional impacts on power supplies and daily life in several regions, The Guardian reported.

In France, five fatalities occurred due to treacherous driving conditions caused by "black ice" and snow.

Three people died and 15 others were injured in two separate road accidents in the southwestern Landes region on Tuesday, where icy roads led to multiple collisions.

Two more deaths were reported in the Paris area: one involved a driver who collided with a heavy goods vehicle in the east of the capital, and the other was a taxi driver who hit a curb due to snowy conditions, veering off the road and plunging into the Marne River on Monday night.

The taxi's passenger was treated for hypothermia but survived, as per France24.

French authorities have placed 38 districts on "orange" alert for snow and black ice, with many train services canceled in affected areas, including high-speed Eurostar connections from Amsterdam to Paris that were either delayed or scrapped entirely.

The Balkans have also been hit hard by heavy snow and rain, swelling rivers and causing traffic chaos.

In Bosnia's capital, Sarajevo, a woman was killed on Monday when a tree branch, weighed down by wet snow accumulating up to 16 inches (40 cm), fell on her head; the incident highlights broader issues in the region, including disruptions to power and water supplies in Serbia, Croatia, and Montenegro.

Disruptions are expected to persist into Wednesday and beyond, with forecasts predicting additional snowfall and freezing temperatures.

French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot urged residents to minimise road travel and work from home, as more snow is anticipated in France on Tuesday night and Wednesday.

In Germany, a storm is forecast for Friday with heavy snow in the north and east, where temperatures have already dropped below -10°C (14°F); minimal flight delays were reported, but power outages affected areas like southwest Berlin.

The UK is under widespread alerts for snow and ice, with temperatures plummeting to -12.5°C overnight in Norfolk — the coldest of the winter so far — leading to school closures in Scotland, severe train disruptions there, and temporary closures of airports like Liverpool and Aberdeen on Monday before resuming Tuesday.

Italy faces snow in northern lowlands and heavy rain in central and southern regions, causing falling trees in Rome and swelling the Tiber River, while Spain saw light snow during a military parade in Madrid.

Warmer conditions may begin in France by Wednesday, but winter hazards are likely to continue across much of the UK and northern Europe throughout the week.

At Paris's Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport, authorities planned to cancel about 40% of flights (or roughly half of Wednesday morning's schedule) to allow crews to clear runways and de-ice aircraft, while Orly airport anticipated scrapping 25% of its flights during the same period.

In the Netherlands, at least 600 flights were cancelled at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport on Tuesday alone, with ongoing major disruptions expected due to the need for runway clearing and de-icing.

Domestic rail services were halted early Tuesday due to frozen points and an unrelated IT outage, affecting key hubs like Utrecht central station and limiting services afterward.

Thousands of stranded passengers formed long queues at airline counters, many missing connections and facing uncertainty about resumptions, exacerbating the chaos across these key travel hubs.