A sharp Arctic front swept across central Europe on 7 February 2026, paralysing ground operations at Warsaw-Chopin, Kraków-Balice, Gdańsk, Katowice and Poznań airports. By mid-afternoon the five hubs logged a combined 339 flight delays and four cancellations, according to data compiled by FlightAware and reported by industry outlet Travel & Tour World.
Warsaw bore the brunt, with 193 late departures and three cancellations as de-icing queues stretched beyond one hour. National carrier LOT accounted for 140 delays, forcing missed connections on high-yield trans-Atlantic and intra-EU routes relied upon by multinational firms headquartered in Poland. Low-cost rivals Wizz Air, Ryanair and Buzz together racked up nearly 100 delays, highlighting the knock-on effect on migrant-worker flows and weekend leisure traffic.
![Wintry Blast Delays 339 Flights and Cancels Four at Poland’s Five Busiest Airports]()
Although only four flights were cancelled—three SAS Link services and a CityJet charter—the sheer volume of staggered departures caused crew-duty imbalances that may ripple into the work-week. Travel-risk consultants advise mobility managers to build 24-hour buffers into project start-dates during Poland’s February freeze, when de-icing fluid shortages and ramp-worker safety restrictions are common.
Under EU-261 rules, weather is an "extraordinary circumstance", so airlines are not obliged to pay compensation; however they must still provide care and assistance. Companies should remind staff to keep receipts for meals and accommodation and to use corporate card travel-insurance features that can cover additional costs. Forward-looking firms are also adding rail segments—such as Warsaw–Gdańsk PKP Intercity services—to contingency playbooks to bypass short-haul air bottlenecks.
Warsaw bore the brunt, with 193 late departures and three cancellations as de-icing queues stretched beyond one hour. National carrier LOT accounted for 140 delays, forcing missed connections on high-yield trans-Atlantic and intra-EU routes relied upon by multinational firms headquartered in Poland. Low-cost rivals Wizz Air, Ryanair and Buzz together racked up nearly 100 delays, highlighting the knock-on effect on migrant-worker flows and weekend leisure traffic.
Although only four flights were cancelled—three SAS Link services and a CityJet charter—the sheer volume of staggered departures caused crew-duty imbalances that may ripple into the work-week. Travel-risk consultants advise mobility managers to build 24-hour buffers into project start-dates during Poland’s February freeze, when de-icing fluid shortages and ramp-worker safety restrictions are common.
Under EU-261 rules, weather is an "extraordinary circumstance", so airlines are not obliged to pay compensation; however they must still provide care and assistance. Companies should remind staff to keep receipts for meals and accommodation and to use corporate card travel-insurance features that can cover additional costs. Forward-looking firms are also adding rail segments—such as Warsaw–Gdańsk PKP Intercity services—to contingency playbooks to bypass short-haul air bottlenecks.
Source: Travel & Tour World
