Flights Cancelled in Scandinavia as Storm Pia Moves North

Air passengers travelling through Europe, have felt the consequences of storm Pia, in particular those travelling through the Scandinavian countries in the recent days, as the storm moved north.

Several airlines have cancelled flights, even on Christmas eve, due to bad weather conditions, affecting the plans of hundreds of travellers, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

Amongst the airlines that have cancelled flights is also the flag carrier of Denmark, the Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), its press officer in Sweden, Irena Busic, has confirmed. According to Busic, the ongoing delays and cancellations necessitated a comprehensive reorganisation of crew, aircraft, and ground personnel due to their dispersed locations.

The routes that have been affected most by the storm, operated by SAS are Oslo Gardermoen and destinations abroad, such as Gran Canaria, Alicante, Zürich, Paris, and Munich. At the same time, flights from Oslo to Amsterdam and from Bergen to Trondheim were cancelled.

SAS has expressed regret for the situation, acknowledging that many travellers’ plans for the holidays have probably been ruined to some extent, as those who had their flights cancelled, could not find seats in other flights, which were fully booked.

Yet, in order to tackle the situation, SAS has deployed additional flights between Paris and Oslo on December 24, Sunday.

On the other hand, delays have been experienced by passengers flying with the Norwegian airlines too, due to the storm. However, no cancellations have taken place.

Storm Pia has hit northwest Europe this December, with heavy winds causing damage and leaving two dead – a woman in Belgium who suffered fatal injuries after being struck by a falling Christmas tree, while in the Netherlands, another person was killed by a falling tree.

On Friday, SchengenVisaInfo.com reported that a total of 200 flights could be cancelled due to Storm Pia at the Schiphol Amsterdam Airport.

Because we are expecting wind speeds (from the west) of around 50 kilometres per hour, with gusts of up to 90 kilometres per hour, only the Buitenveldertbaan Runway can be used for take-offs and landings from the afternoon onwards.

British Airways has also grounded more than 20 domestic and European flights to and from London Heathrow, including flights to and from Amsterdam.

Flights and train routes throughout Europe the past week have also been affected by strikes, as well as the volcanic eruption in Iceland. Several EU countries have issued warnings for their citizens travelling to or through the Keflavik airport, to take the necessary precautions.