Hundreds of flights cancelled as big freeze grips western Europe

A spell of freezing weather bringing heavy snowfall and ice has caused transport disruption across western Europe.

Hundreds of flights have been cancelled at several airports, while Eurostar services and haulage have also been affected.

More than 700 flights were cancelled at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, a major regional transport hub, on Wednesday. Meanwhile, France’s civil aviation authority has asked airlines to cut 40% of flights scheduled for the main international airport in Paris.

At least six people have died in weather-related incidents across Europe this week -five in France and one in Bosnia.

Dutch national airline KLM warned Schiphol Airport was close to running out of de-icing fluid after days of freezing conditions.

Spokesperson Stephan Donker told news agency Reuters that it was an “exceptional situation” at the Dutch airport, where more than 1,000 travellers spent the night.

A few hundred beds have been set up there before and after security checks with food and drinks also provided, he said.

Donker warned of knock-on effects from the disruption, with further delays and cancellations possible in coming days.

In Paris, more than 100 flights were cancelled at Charles de Gaulle airport and 40 more at Orly.

Dozens of fllights have been delayed or cancelled in and out of Heathrow and Brussels.

Some Eurostar rail services between London and Paris were delayed or cancelled on Wednesday.

Almost half of mainland France was on alert for heavy snow and black ice, with lorries banned from the roads in some areas.

“It’s better to be here than stuck on the road,” driver Carle Bruno told news agency AFP at a roadside service station in the northern port of Le Havre.

Five people died in two separate regions of France earlier this week as a result of treacherous driving conditions, authorities said, while a woman was also killed in Bosnia’s capital, Sarajevo, after 40cm (16in) of snow fell on the city.

In Paris, Guinean teenager Boubacar Camara, sleeping in a tent on the outskirts of the city, told AFP he had “no choice but to keep on going”.

“You just have to stay strong [and] make sure you don’t die,” the 19-year-old said. “We can’t do anything about the cold. I’m not used to this at all.”

The rare sight of the French capital covered in snow drew residents and tourists out to ski down the slopes of Montmartre and along the Champs de Mars gardens below the Eiffel Tower.

“It’s exceptional, it’s incredible,” said Pierre, a Parisian. “It’s magnificent and we’re enjoying it. We also came across a lot of tourists and they look so happy.”