Storms delay 1,130 flights and cancel 550 at Munich Airport, Amsterdam Schiphol, and Barcelona El Prat

Disruption overview

More than 1,130 delays and about 550 cancellations have hit European air travel in recent days, with Munich Airport, Amsterdam Schiphol, and Barcelona El Prat among the main pressure points. The disruption has spread to Frankfurt Airport and Vienna International Airport as aircraft and crews are repositioned, while KLM, Wizz Air, British Airways, easyJet, and Air France work through late departures, missed connections, and last-minute schedule changes. Because bad weather appears to be the main trigger, compensation is usually unlikely under EC 261. Even so, if your journey is affected, your airline should still help with rebooking or refunds, meals and refreshments, and hotel accommodation if you’re stranded overnight.

Get flight compensation

Check if the airline owes you money for your delayed or canceled flight

Disruption details

More than 1,130 flights were delayed and about 550 were canceled across Europe in recent days, with major disruption centered on Munich Airport, Amsterdam Schiphol, and Barcelona El Prat.

For passengers, this has meant missed connections, longer waits, and sudden overnight changes. The disruption has also spread to Frankfurt Airport and Vienna International Airport as aircraft and crews are repositioned, and airlines including KLM, Wizz Air, British Airways, easyJet, and Air France work through late departures, cancellations, and knock-on delays.

The biggest pressure appears to be the weather. Atlantic storm systems have brought strong winds, heavy rain, and low cloud to the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, and Spain, cutting runway capacity at some of Europe’s busiest hubs just as schedules are already full.

When weather reduces visibility or creates unsafe operating conditions, airports and controllers have to slow everything down. Aircraft need more space between them, arrivals and departures can be spaced further apart, and runways may be closed for periods. That quickly squeezes the timetable and leaves very little room for recovery later in the day.

At the same time, chronic staffing constraints in air traffic control centers and ground-handling teams are making it harder for airlines and airports to absorb the shock. Even when conditions improve, carriers can still be left short of crews, aircraft, or ramp support in the right place at the right time.

The disruption isn’t happening in isolation. Earlier in April, strike action by airline and airport staff in Germany and Italy removed hundreds of flights from schedules. Carriers are still dealing with the after-effects of those walkouts, including displaced aircraft rotations and crews reaching their duty limits, which makes the current weather disruption harder to contain.

Amsterdam Schiphol has also faced repeated waves of disruption since January, and KLM has already decided to trim about 160 flights over the coming month to protect resources. Barcelona El Prat has seen its own recurring problems, with infrastructure strain and bad weather hitting short-haul routes to the United Kingdom and northern Europe especially hard.

For long-haul passengers, the impact can be even more difficult. Many travelers connect through these hubs on their way to North America, Africa, or Asia. When same-day options disappear, rerouting often stretches into the next day, leaving people sleeping in terminals or scrambling to find last-minute accommodation.

With summer getting closer, the risk of rolling delays and cancellations remains high if bad weather returns or staffing pressure deepens. If you’re flying through one of these airports, it’s worth checking your flight status regularly and keeping an eye on any rebooking messages from your airline.

Because the main cause appears to be bad weather, compensation is usually unlikely under EC 261 . Even so, your airline still has a duty to look after you if your journey is disrupted:

• Your airline should offer rebooking or a refund if your flight is canceled.

• If you’re delayed for several hours, they should provide meals and refreshments.

• If the disruption leaves you away from home overnight, they should arrange accommodation and transportation to it.

• During long delays, they should also help you make essential calls or emails.

Although compensation is unlikely here, that doesn’t mean you’re without support. If you want to understand if you can get compensation for any disruption, AirHelp’s free flight checker is a simple place to start.

Protect your future trips with AirHelp+

Secure your flights, luggage and get lounge access