Airlines and airports worldwide faced a tumultuous start to 2025. Extreme winter weather caused significant disruptions over the weekend, impacting operations in the U.S., UK, and Germany.
Residual delays and cancellations continue to ripple through the system, affecting thousands of pax.
Winter Storm Blair wreaked havoc on Sunday (05JAN), disrupting over 10,300 flights as snow and freezing rain swept across the Central Plains and Midwest, reports Forbes.
Flight disruptions persist as the storm moved into the Mid-Atlantic region on Monday (06JAN), with 789 delays and 1,446 cancellations reported by 8 a.m., according to FlightAware. Major airports in Washington, D.C.—Reagan National (DCA), Baltimore (BWI), and Dulles (IAD)—were particularly hard-hit, alongside Midwest hubs like St. Louis Lambert (STL) and Kansas City (MCI).
In the UK, airports faced significant challenges as snowfall disrupted operations. Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, and Newcastle airports were forced to close temporarily, while London Heathrow (LHR) experienced widespread delays.
Cirium, an aviation analytics firm, reported that Manchester had 33 departures and 27 arrivals cancelled on Sunday. At Heathrow, 31% of departures and 52% of arrivals were delayed on Saturday, with figures rising to 45% and 57%, respectively, on Sunday.
Germany’s airports faced dual challenges over the weekend, reports Simple Flying. A nationwide IT outage on 03JAN caused delays at border control posts, particularly for non-Schengen passengers. Adverse weather rolled in as this issue was resolved, exacerbating delays and cancellations.
Frankfurt Airport (FRA) cancelled 120 of its 1,090 flights on Sunday due to poor visibility and the need for runway clearing. Munich Airport (MUC) also faced disruptions, operating with a single runway while handling 750 flights rescheduled from Saturday.
According to Forbes, airlines are issuing travel waivers, allowing pax flying in or out of impacted airports to rebook without paying the difference in fare. However, the number of airports covered varies widely by airline. For example, American Airlines’ travel advisory covers 46 airports, while Delta Air Line’s advisory covers 20 airports.
Travellers are being advised to stay informed by using airline apps and tools like FlightAware to track delays and cancellations in real-time. Airlines are also encouraging pax to leverage self-service kiosks and online platforms to avoid long lines at airport counters.
