European bad weather has impacted airBaltic's schedule: since January 2, the airline has been forced to cancel 36 flights between Riga and Amsterdam. The situation was commented on by the carrier's head of public and political relations, Augusts Zilberts.
According to him, the situation at Schiphol Airport remains critical. Snow clearing, runway icing, a shortage of parking spaces, and strict limits on night departures have sharply reduced the hub's capacity. As a result, mass disruptions have also affected the Latvian airline.
Zilberts noted that in recent days, the average waiting time on this route has exceeded four hours. Such delays inevitably run into working time regulations: "If the wait is prolonged, the crew can no longer operate the flight due to aviation safety requirements, and the flight has to be canceled."
To minimize inconvenience, airBaltic is seeking alternative routes, rebooking people on other flights, or offering combined options using ground transportation through neighboring European cities. If the forecast promises a delay of more than 90 minutes with no hope for improvement in the weather, boarding the aircraft is not even started to prevent people from being confined in a closed space on the ground.
According to the Riga airport's display board, two more flights to Amsterdam were canceled just in the first half of Wednesday. The company emphasizes that other major hubs have also been affected: limits on incoming flights have been imposed in Paris, and movement in Brussels is restricted due to snow, ice, and poor visibility.
Leave a comment