Marketplace All-in-One Thousands stranded amid flight cancellations in Amsterdam
Jan 7, 2026
Ittica de Jong, an aviation reporter for De Telegraaf, provides first-hand insights into the chaos at Schiphol Airport, where over 700 flights were canceled due to snow and a critical shortage of de-icing fluid. She discusses KLM’s challenges, including their ineffective crisis response and the complicated process of repatriating stranded travelers. Meanwhile, Joe Leahy, the Financial Times' Beijing correspondent, analyzes China's strong reaction to U.S. actions regarding Venezuelan oil, labeling them as typical bullying and raising concerns about economic repercussions.
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Winter Plans Built For Short Events
- Schiphol's operations collapsed after prolonged snow and ice because its winter plan only covered two days of disruption.
- Extended cold spells plus running out of de-icing fluid created cascading cancellations and stranded thousands.
Transfer Hub Disruptions Multiply Globally
- Schiphol is a major European transfer hub comparable to Frankfurt and Heathrow, so disruptions multiply across connecting flights.
- High throughput means small delays or de-icing bottlenecks cascade into massive cancellations.
KLM Ran Out Of De-Icing Fluid
- KLM ran its de-icing stations and after five days they ran out of the liquid used to de-ice planes.
- They drove to Germany to get more fluid and hoped to resume operations when it returned.