Monday, June 23, 2025
Severe weather has crippled air travel across Europe, leading to nearly two thousand flight delays and cancellations as strong winds, heavy rain, and violent thunderstorms swept through major hubs including Heathrow, Frankfurt, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, and beyond. Airlines such as Lufthansa, KLM, British Airways, Air France, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Ryanair, American Airlines, Air India, Swiss, and easyJet were among the most heavily impacted, with many forced to cancel routes, ground aircraft, and reroute operations due to unsafe flying conditions. The combination of crosswinds, lightning risks, and low visibility brought some runways to a standstill and created a ripple effect across both short-haul and international networks. The scale and spread of disruption not only overwhelmed airport logistics but also left thousands of passengers stranded or scrambling to rebook, highlighting just how fragile Europe’s aviation system becomes when extreme weather strikes multiple key regions simultaneously.
London Heathrow Battles Strong Winds and Logjams
At London Heathrow, delays dominated the day as powerful crosswinds buffeted the airfield. The airport reported 212 delayed flights and 9 cancellations by the afternoon. British Airways, based at Heathrow, faced the most significant operational impact. Over 100 BA flights were delayed, with 6 grounded altogether.
But the turbulence wasn’t limited to just one airline. Lufthansa and KLM reported combined delays across a dozen flights. Air France, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways each noted partial delays on their routes. Transatlantic carriers weren’t spared either — United Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta all experienced setbacks, with connecting passengers missing transfers due to the logjam.
Other carriers impacted included Singapore Airlines, Swiss, Virgin Atlantic, TAP Air Portugal, Iberia, Gulf Air, and Asiana Airlines, some experiencing up to 50% disruption on their scheduled operations. Even regional and cargo players like Loganair and Bringer Air Cargo were forced into reroutes or holding patterns.
Frankfurt Sees Chaos as Germany’s Largest Hub Struggles to Stay Afloat
Further east, Frankfurt International Airport reported a nearly identical total: 347 delays and 9 cancellations — nearly crippling the day’s operational flow. Lufthansa, headquartered at Frankfurt, took a major hit, with more than 150 delayed flights and disruptions spread across its subsidiaries, including Lufthansa Cityline and Air Dolomiti.
Additional airlines facing setbacks included Swiss, Qatar Airways, Etihad, Royal Jordanian, and Singapore Airlines. Smaller carriers such as Smart Lynx, Vietnam Airlines, and Air Astana saw complete disruption of their limited scheduled flights, some canceled and others returned to gates due to unsafe flying conditions.
By afternoon, Delta, United, and Emirates were all reporting rebookings and diversions. Oman Air, Croatia Airlines, and TAP Air Portugal were among those operating on delay-heavy skeleton schedules. For some, delays exceeded three hours, with weather radar charts indicating no immediate relief.
Storms Disrupt Berlin Brandenburg
Over in Germany’s capital, Berlin Brandenburg Airport registered 105 delays and 6 cancellations as heavy thunderstorms made departures unpredictable. Lufthansa and easyJet—both operating significant fleets at BER—faced prolonged delays due to lightning strikes and temporary ground stops.
International carriers like Air France, KLM, Swiss, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, and United Airlines also dealt with hour-long holdups. City Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, and Air Cairo reported up to 100% impact on their operating schedules. Icelandair and BA CityFlyer were also among the affected.
Delays reached such a critical point that Berlin’s air traffic controllers coordinated outbound routing manually to prevent runway gridlocks, particularly for smaller and mid-sized carriers.
Munich Becomes the Eye of the Storm
If Frankfurt was the epicenter of disruption in central Germany, Munich was the eye of the storm. The airport recorded 348 delays and 20 cancellations, making it the worst-affected European airport for the day. Lufthansa Cityline and its parent company, Lufthansa, experienced up to 40% of their flights delayed or canceled.
Other badly hit airlines included Air France, Swiss, Brussels Airlines, and Air Baltic, which saw up to 50% schedule disruption. The thunderstorm grounded Gulf Air, Thai Airways, and Oman Air for multiple hours. Croatia Airlines, Helvetic, and Air Europa Express had to cancel some services altogether.
Eurowings, KLM, and TUI all reported delays and inbound diversions, with some evening services rebooked for the next day. Ground handlers and ramp agents faced wind warnings that made regular pushbacks temporarily unsafe.
Amsterdam Schiphol Grapples With Strong Gusts
The winds sweeping through the Netherlands battered Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, resulting in 247 delays and 27 cancellations. KLM recorded over 100 delays, most affecting its European short-haul services. Some inbound flights were diverted to nearby airports in Belgium and northern Germany.
Air France, Delta, United, JetBlue, and Qatar Airways also saw ripple effects. Regional airlines like BA CityFlyer, Croatia Airlines, Sky Express, and KM Malta Airlines noted widespread delays or rescheduled flights.
Carriers like TAP Air Portugal, Vueling, Air China, Malta MedAir, and Etihad also saw modest disruptions. In many cases, aircraft were held at the gates for extended periods as pilots awaited safe takeoff windows.
Charles de Gaulle Logs Hundreds of Delays
France’s main aviation gateway, Paris Charles de Gaulle, recorded 276 delays and 7 cancellations. At the core of this disruption was national carrier Air France, which faced over 130 delayed flights as its network spiraled due to the storm.
Other airlines affected included easyJet, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, American Airlines, and Qatar Airways. Regional services from Nouvelair, Cyprus Airways, and Kenya Airways were grounded or delayed by hours. Royal Jordanian, Middle East Airlines, and XiamenAir were among those seeing up to 100% delay rates for their scheduled slots.
The ground situation was made worse by strong wind bursts that temporarily shut down multiple runways, forcing inbound traffic into holding patterns.
Dublin Hit Hard by Gusty Winds
In Ireland, Dublin International Airport was plagued by relentless wind. The airport logged 128 delayed flights and 15 cancellations, a large share of which came from Emerald Airlines (13 canceled flights alone).
Aer Lingus, Ryanair, and British Airways all experienced multi-hour delays. Transatlantic carriers like United, American Airlines, and Delta pushed back ETAs by up to three hours.
International airlines like Etihad, Qatar Airways, KLM, Swiss, Finnair, and WestJet faced disruption across both short and long-haul routes. Even niche players like Hainan Airlines, Lauda Europe, and City Airlines had to delay or ground aircraft entirely.
Manchester Airport Faces Disruption Wave
At Manchester Airport, the wind caused 110 delays and 3 cancellations. Jet2 led the disruption tally with 26 delayed flights, while easyJet followed closely with 36 delays. Etihad Airways and Air France reported over 75% of services affected on key European routes.
Other disrupted carriers included Ryanair, Corendon Airlines, TUI Airways, Qatar Airways, Aegean Airlines, and Air Canada. Regional airlines like KLM, Luxair, and Helvetic also scrambled to reconfigure afternoon schedules to avoid crew time-outs.
Birmingham International Weathered With Delays
In Birmingham, 72 flights were delayed and 4 canceled. The most significant impacts were reported by Jet2, easyJet, TUI Airways, and Emerald Airlines, which logged multiple delayed services.
International carriers including Emirates, Qatar Airways, KLM, Sun Express, and Wizz Air Malta saw reduced frequencies or heavily delayed afternoon departures. Delays averaged between 20 and 40 minutes, though some long-haul services were postponed beyond two hours.
Dusseldorf Disrupted by Crosswinds
Dusseldorf International Airport registered 123 delayed flights and 3 cancellations, mostly due to unstable wind patterns. Eurowings was the most heavily impacted, with 43 delays, followed by Lufthansa, Condor, and Sun Express.
International carriers such as Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, Swiss, Pegasus Airlines, and Middle East Airlines all faced disruptions, many reporting over 30% of schedules impacted. Aegean Airlines, Finnair, and Corendon also saw measurable service degradation throughout the day.
Final Disruption Totals Across Europe
- Total Flights Delayed: 1,968
- Total Flights Canceled: 103
- Total Flights Affected: 2,071
This large-scale weather event marks one of the most widespread operational breakdowns seen in European aviation in recent months. From short-hop regional carriers to long-haul international giants, few airlines emerged unscathed. While ground crews and air traffic control teams worked to restore some semblance of order, experts warn that residual delays could spill over into midweek schedules.
Airline Flight Delays and Cancellations Summary
- Lufthansa
- Delays: Over 200 across Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin, and Heathrow
- Cancellations: 11 at Munich, 4 at Frankfurt
- Notable Hubs Affected: Frankfurt (150 delays), Munich (124 delays), Berlin, Heathrow
- Lufthansa Cityline
- Delays: 59 at Munich, 6 at Berlin, 3 at Dusseldorf
- Cancellations: 11 at Munich, 2 at Schiphol
- Highest Disruption Rate: 40–50% of scheduled flights
- British Airways
- Delays: 109 at Heathrow, 2–3 each at Paris, Dusseldorf, and Dublin
- Cancellations: 2 at Heathrow
- Impacted Routes: UK to Europe and transatlantic
- KLM
- Delays: 100+ at Schiphol, 5–6 at Heathrow and Berlin
- Cancellations: 1 at Schiphol
- Notable Affected Airports: Amsterdam, Heathrow, Berlin, Birmingham
- Air France
- Delays: Over 130 at Charles de Gaulle, 6 at Munich, 3 at Dublin
- Cancellations: 1 at Schiphol, 2 at Frankfurt
- Major Hub Impacted: Paris CDG
- Emirates
- Delays: 4 at Heathrow, 2 at Schiphol, 1 each at Munich, Dublin, Birmingham
- Cancellations: 5 at Paris, 4 at Munich
- Long-Haul Routes Affected: Europe to Middle East and Asia
- Qatar Airways
- Delays: 5 at Heathrow, 3 at Frankfurt, 2 at Manchester
- Cancellations: None reported
- Notable Affected Airports: Heathrow, Frankfurt, Dublin, Schiphol
- American Airlines
- Delays: 9 at Heathrow, 1 each at Schiphol and Paris
- Cancellations: None reported
- Mainly Transatlantic Delays
- Ryanair
- Delays: 50 at Dublin, 35 at Frankfurt, 13 at Birmingham
- Cancellations: 0
- Heavy Short-Haul Disruptions Across UK and Ireland
- easyJet
- Delays: 36 at Manchester, 30 at Paris, 25 at Dublin, 21 at Schiphol
- Cancellations: 5 at Frankfurt
- Notable Disruptions at Budget Terminals
- Swiss International Air Lines
- Delays: 6 at Heathrow, 4 at Paris, 3 at Berlin
- Cancellations: 2 at Frankfurt, 1 at Munich
- High Delay Rates at Multiple Airports
- Etihad Airways
- Delays: 5 at Heathrow, 3 at Schiphol, 2 at Frankfurt
- Cancellations: 2 at Munich
- Middle East Routes Disrupted
- Delta Air Lines
- Delays: 7 at Schiphol, 3 at Heathrow, 3 at Dublin
- Cancellations: 4 at Frankfurt
- North American Departures Affected
- United Airlines
- Delays: 3 at Heathrow, 2 at Schiphol, 1 at Berlin
- Cancellations: 1 at Berlin
- Moderate Transatlantic Impact
- Jet2
- Delays: 26 at Manchester, 18 at Birmingham
- Cancellations: None
- UK-EU Short-Haul Routes Affected
- TUI Airways
- Delays: 6 at Manchester, 2 at Dublin, 2 at Birmingham
- Cancellations: None
- Leisure Routes Disrupted
- Aer Lingus
- Delays: 25 at Dublin
- Cancellations: 0
- Main Irish Carrier Hit Hard
- Emerald Airlines
- Delays: 2 at Manchester
- Cancellations: 13 at Dublin, 4 at Birmingham
- Regional Ireland Flights Most Affected
- Air India
- Delays: 6 at Heathrow, 3 at Paris
- Cancellations: 3 at Frankfurt
- Long-Haul Service Affected
- Middle East Airlines – Air Liban
- Delays: 2 at Heathrow, 1 at Dusseldorf
- Cancellations: None reported
- Turkish Airlines
- Delays: 4 at Heathrow, 3 at Frankfurt, 1 at Birmingham
- Cancellations: 0
- Condor
- Delays: 3 at Berlin, 4 at Munich
- Cancellations: None
- City Airlines
- Delays: 14 at Munich, 3 at Berlin, 1 at Dublin
- Cancellations: 3 at Berlin
- Helvetic
- Delays: 5 at Munich, 2 at Berlin
- Cancellations: 2 at Berlin
- Air Cairo
- Delays: 2 at Berlin, 1 at Dusseldorf
- Cancellations: None
- Brussels Airlines
- Delays: 5 at Munich, 2 at Heathrow
- Cancellations: 2 at Frankfurt
- Etc. (Including smaller or regional carriers):
- Sun Express: Delays at Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich, Dusseldorf, and Paris (25+ total)
- Wizz Air Malta: Delays at Birmingham, Berlin
- Aegean Airlines: Delays across Berlin, Schiphol, and Dublin
- Finnair: Delays in Dublin, Dusseldorf, Heathrow
- LOT Polish Airlines, Icelandair, Iberia, EgyptAir, Oman Air, and others also faced route-by-route delays due to weather.
Severe wind, rain, and thunderstorms triggered nearly two thousand flight delays and cancellations across Europe as major airlines and airports struggled to maintain operations under rapidly deteriorating weather conditions. The widespread disruption impacted carriers like Lufthansa, KLM, British Airways, and Emirates at key hubs including Heathrow, Frankfurt, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Paris.
Travelers Advised to Prepare for Ongoing Impacts
With more storms in the forecast across western and central Europe, airline authorities are urging passengers to recheck itineraries, arrive early, and expect longer wait times at boarding gates and customer service desks. Airlines including Lufthansa, British Airways, easyJet, and Ryanair have already activated flexible rebooking policies and waiver options for affected passengers.
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