Europe is facing renewed travel disruption as a worsening cold snap brings heavy snowfall across large parts of the continent, leading to widespread flight cancellations, train delays, and road closures. Authorities in several countries have urged residents to stay home as blizzard conditions are expected to intensify in the coming days.

In the Netherlands, officials advised people to avoid travel wherever possible, with a fresh snowstorm forecast to arrive overnight. Dutch airline KLM confirmed it had proactively cancelled 600 flights on Wednesday to avoid last-minute disruptions that could leave passengers stranded at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. The airline had already cancelled 400 flights the previous day and asked affected travellers to stay away from the airport to prevent overcrowding.

“We haven’t experienced such extreme weather conditions in years,” said KLM spokesperson Anoesjka Aspeslagh. The airline said it is offering alternative flights where possible but remains overwhelmed by passenger inquiries.

In France, Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said airlines had been ordered to cancel at least 40 per cent of flights at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, with around a quarter of flights cancelled at Orly Airport. He added that public transport services across the Paris region were also likely to be disrupted due to snowfall.

Rail services across the Netherlands were further impacted after an IT outage led to the suspension of all domestic trains early Tuesday. Although partial services resumed later in the day, disruptions continued around Amsterdam. High-speed Eurostar services between Amsterdam and Paris were either cancelled or delayed.

The severe weather has already led to fatalities and major road incidents. French broadcaster BFMTV reported that at least five people were killed in weather-related accidents across France. Traffic congestion in the Paris region reached a record 1,000 kilometres on Monday evening.

Elsewhere in Europe, Germany experienced temperatures dropping well below minus 10 degrees Celsius in southern and eastern regions, with much of the country blanketed in snow. In the UK, the Meteorological Office warned that winter weather hazards could persist throughout the week, with temperatures falling to minus 12.5 degrees Celsius in parts of eastern England, marking the coldest night of the season so far.

Heavy snow and rainfall have also disrupted daily life across the Western Balkans, leading to road closures, power outages, and flooding rivers. In Bosnia, a woman died in Sarajevo after a tree collapsed under the weight of wet snow.

With further snowfall expected, authorities across Europe continue to advise caution, urging travellers to monitor updates closely and limit movement to essential travel only.