Hundreds of flights to Amsterdam have been cancelled as a storm batters the Netherlands.
On Wednesday morning a code red alert was declared in three Dutch provinces by the national meteorological institute as Storm Poly brought heavy rain and strong winds, with one gust reaching over 90mph.
Trains have been halted in the northern Netherlands while Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, one of Europe’s busiest airports, has cancelled or delayed hundreds of flights.
"At the moment, 400 flights have been cancelled," a Schiphol spokesperson said. The airport is a major hub for connecting flights from Asia, the Middle East and the United States to the rest of Europe.
“Due to strong gusts of wind, rain and poor visibility caused by storm Poly, very limited air traffic is possible between 9am and 4pm on Wednesday, 5 July. Both arriving and departing flights have been cancelled or delayed,” Schiphol Airport said in a statement.
Have you been caught up in any travel chaos? Email webtravel@reachplc.com
Both KLM and easyJet flights from Manchester Airport have been cancelled this morning with the next flight scheduled to depart for Amsterdam at 1.45pm on Wednesday. Passengers should check with their airline for the latest flight information.
Other airports, including Heathrow and Gatwick, are seeing lengthy delays for arrivals and departures to and from the Netherlands.
In a statement on its website easyJet apologised for the cancelled flights. It said: “This is due to an adverse weather forecast in Amsterdam which forecasts high winds and low visibility on 5 July.
"As a consequence, Schiphol airport authorities have imposed arrival restrictions which significantly reduces the number of flights that can operate to and from Schiphol airport on 5 July.
“We understand that this will be disappointing news and we want to make it as easy as possible for you to make new plans, so here’s everything you need to know about what to do next. The disruption to your flight is outside of our control and is considered to be an extraordinary circumstance.”
It advises travellers that they can either switch to another flight for free, select a voucher for the full value of their ticket or request a refund.
The storm is expected to blow across the Netherlands later on Wednesday and into Denmark and Germany.
Dutch media has shown pictures of uprooted trees and “and at least one toppled truck in Amsterdam, The Hague and the city of Haarlem as the storm barrelled through during the normally busy morning rush hour.
A woman who was injured when a tree fell on her car was declared dead, NL Times reported. The 51-year-old from Haarlem town was in the car with one other person, who survived the incident.
Emergency services in North Holland province, which includes the capital Amsterdam, sent a push alert to mobile phones urging people to stay indoors as the storm passed. Traffic authorities also advised motorists to avoid driving, if possible.
