Travelers reaching, departing, or transiting through the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol have been advised to remain aware of possible flight disruptions that might be caused today, on November 2, due to storm Ciarián.
In a statement, the airport has pointed out that all travellers must check the latest flight information well in advance before their scheduled flight, in order to be prepared for delays and cancellations.
The strong winds that have been forecast affect both air traffic and aircraft handling on the ground. For safety reasons, this work cannot be done with these wind conditions, resulting in a disruption in the flight schedule for both departing and arriving flights.
The statement also points out that flight schedules in its premises might also be disrupted by developments in other European airports as a result of storm Ciarián.
Ciarán is expected to rage through the Schiphol airport today, making it challenging to fly for the pilots, in particular when landing. The airport warns that though the pilots and crews are well trained to fly in these conditions, sometimes, several attempts are needed to land safely. In addition, in cases when the wind is too strong, airplanes might divert to another alternative airport.
Over 150 flights have already been cancelled for today, and another 22 have been delayed so far. The cancelled flights include Flight AF 1640 from Paris de Gaulle which was expected to arrive at 13:05, Flight KL 1354 from Prague, supposed to arrive at 13:10, Flight KL 1354 from Milan Linate scheduled for 13:15, and Flight BA 434 from London Heathrow, the arrival time of which was supposed to be 13.20.
As warned by Schiphol, storm Ciarián, has disrupted travel flow at other European airports as well. In the Channel Islands, Jersey Airport has close to all passenger flights today, and planning to reopen only tomorrow, upon an infrastructure inspection. Quimper Airport in Brittany, France also closed its doors yesterday morning for 24 hours and Brest airport closed from 5pm on Wednesday until 9:30am on Thursday.
Numerous flights from the London Gatwick Airport to European countries have also been delayed including British Airways BA2666 to Porto, easyJet EZY8681 to Amsterdam, easyJet EJU8515 to Lisbon, etc.
All travellers reaching the EU, and those departing from any of the Member States are protected by the EU Regulation 261/2004 in case of a flight delay or cancellation. The regulation clarifies that every passenger has the right to claim compensation if the air carrier did not inform them on time for the delay, or whose flight was delayed for more than three hours. Travellers can claim up to €600 depending on the distance of their flight and delay period.
