Belgium’s winter weather caused major transport disruption on Wednesday, as snowfall led to the cancellation of 40 flights at Brussels Airport and triggered widespread delays across air and road networks. Authorities warned that delays were expected to continue throughout the day as safety measures remained in place.
According to Brussels Airport, 20 arriving and 20 departing flights were cancelled due to the snowfall. The airport said that aircraft de-icing, along with snow clearance on runways and taxiways, significantly slowed operations and impacted flight schedules.
“Due to the de-icing of aircraft and the de-icing and snow clearance of runways and taxiways during the snowfall, we expect flight delays during the entire day,” the airport said in a statement published on its website.
Jeffrey Franssens, spokesperson for Brussels Airport, said passenger safety was the priority despite the inconvenience. “We expect delays due to the snow, which is why the flights have been cancelled,” he told The Brussels Times. “Our teams are prepared to de-ice the aircraft and the runways later today.”
Shortly before 7 am on Wednesday, both departing and arriving flights were experiencing average delays of nearly 30 minutes. This mirrored the disruption seen on Tuesday, when snowfall also affected operations. Airport officials acknowledged passenger frustration but stressed that weather-related precautions take time.
“We are aware that this is not fun, but we are doing this to guarantee the safety of our passengers,” Franssens said. “Unfortunately, these things take time.”
The winter disruption was not limited to Belgium. At Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam, more than 1,000 passengers were stranded overnight as hundreds of flights were cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. Many travellers were forced to remain at the airport as services struggled to recover.
Airport authorities at Schiphol confirmed that hundreds of passengers had slept inside terminals on previous nights. On Tuesday night, camp beds were set up for the first time, and breakfast was provided to stranded travellers on Wednesday morning.
By early Wednesday, more than 700 of the roughly 1,100 scheduled flights to and from Schiphol had already been cancelled. Airport officials warned that further cancellations were possible as weather conditions remained unpredictable.
In France, snowfall also caused significant disruption. Around 100 flights were cancelled at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, with approximately 40 more grounded at Orly Airport. French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said authorities hoped conditions would improve later in the day.
“I hope the situation will return to normal this afternoon,” Tabarot told broadcaster CNews. He also urged vigilance nationwide, particularly due to the risk of freezing rain, which he said had not always been forecast and could arrive suddenly.
Public transport in the Paris region was also affected. All buses in Paris and the wider Île-de-France region gradually ceased service around 7 am, returning to their depots for safety reasons, according to Île-de-France Mobilités and transport operator RATP.
In Belgium, the Royal Meteorological Institute said the snow zone would move from west to east throughout Wednesday. Between three and six centimetres of fresh snow were expected, with locally higher accumulations in some areas.
A code orange warning for icy roads remains in effect across most of the country, excluding the coast. The RMI has extended the warning until 7 am on Thursday, citing continued risks of slippery conditions overnight.
Brussels saw its first snowfall of the day around 8:25 am, triggering severe traffic congestion. The Flemish Traffic Centre reported nearly 400 kilometres of traffic jams on motorways in and around the capital by 8:45 am, an exceptionally high figure for that time of day.
Further snow showers are expected later on Wednesday, with wintry conditions continuing into the night. While a thaw may reduce risks in western areas, authorities warned that icy patches are still likely to form, keeping safety alerts firmly in place.
