Storm Boelo causes 192 cancellations and 528 delays at Schiphol

Storm Boelo battered flight schedules at Amsterdam Schiphol on Sunday 25 October, with 192 flights cancelled and 528 delayed by the evening. Xinhua reported the Flightradar24 figures as strong winds restricted operations at the Dutch airport. Manchester, Paris, Prague and Frankfurt were among the destinations affected. Schiphol’s own departures board also listed the 7.20am KLM flight to London Heathrow as cancelled.

Schiphol stayed open, but airlines could not operate their normal schedules. In a Sunday notice, the airport warned that strong winds would limit take-offs and landings. With fewer runway combinations available, cancellations mounted alongside delays.

KLM cancels 149 flights as disruption spreads

KLM accounted for a substantial share of the disruption. Dutch news agency ANP reported that the airline had cancelled 149 arriving and departing flights. The later figure of 192 cancellations, reported by Xinhua from Flightradar24 data, covered the airport more broadly. The two counts overlap and cannot be added together.

Earlier in the day, Dutch broadcaster NOS had counted almost 80 cancelled departures before 5pm. Its reporting also identified affected services to Hamburg and Stockholm. The reports were compiled at different times and covered different groups of flights.

KLM said it had contacted affected customers on Saturday and was arranging alternatives. The airline had already cancelled 20 flights on Friday 23 October and announced 22 more for Saturday during Storm Austen’s disruption to European flights. Those earlier cancellations were unrelated to Sunday’s Boelo tally.

Strong winds squeeze Schiphol’s runway capacity

The Dutch meteorological service KNMI maintained a code yellow warning for North Holland on Sunday, forecasting gusts of 75–90 km/h in exposed coastal areas. Near the Wadden Islands, gusts could reach about 100 km/h in showers. The warning ran into the early hours of Monday.

Schiphol has several runways, yet wind direction and strength determine which can be used together. When that choice narrows, the airport handles fewer departures and arrivals per hour. The disruption can then travel well beyond Amsterdam: a late inbound aircraft may miss its next departure, while passengers connecting between two flights face the prospect of losing an onward journey.

What cancelled-flight passengers can claim

For travellers whose flights were cancelled, EU air passenger rules generally require airlines to offer a refund or rerouting. Passengers may also be entitled to meals and, where necessary, accommodation while they wait.

Airlines may be exempt from fixed compensation when severe weather qualifies as an extraordinary circumstance and the required conditions are met. It does not remove its duties to provide care and offer a refund or another journey. Passengers should check their booking directly with the airline and retain any messages about cancellation or rebooking.

Sources: Xinhua via The Star; Schiphol; ANP via Transport Online; NOS; KNMI; European Commission.