KLM cancels flights during Storm Austen: your rights
At a glance
KLM cancelled 20 flights on Friday 23 October because of storm winds in the Netherlands. Another 22 cancellations are expected on Saturday 24 October, its spokesperson told Reuters. The combined 42 is not a confirmed total of cancellations already carried out. Check your own booking and any rerouting offered.
20 flights
cancelled on Friday 23 October, according to KLM
22 flights
further cancellations expected on Saturday
Rerouting
and care are separate from fixed compensation
In this article
Quick facts
Facts checked
- When
- 23–24 October 2026
- Airline
- KLM
- Friday
- 20 flights cancelled
- Saturday
- 22 further cancellations expected
Confirmed: KLM confirmed Friday’s 20 cancellations and the weather-related cause to Reuters.
Still uncertain: Saturday’s final outcome, affected routes and flight numbers, passenger numbers and further knock-on effects. The report provides no full airport breakdown.
Check your compensation
Free preliminary check. You can change your choice later.
Another flight problemWhat to do now
Check your booking before travelling
Read KLM’s personal notification and flight status. A general storm report does not establish whether your own flight is cancelled.
Ask for a specific travel alternative
If your flight is cancelled, ask about rerouting to your final destination or reimbursement. Check connections on the same booking before choosing.
Request help while waiting
Meals and necessary accommodation with transport may be due during a qualifying wait even if the storm excludes fixed compensation. Keep reasonable receipts.
Keep the timeline and stated cause
Save your ticket, cancellation notice, alternative offered and actual arrival time. Ask how the weather affected your particular flight.
Your passenger rights
EU261 may cover KLM departures from the EU and journeys from outside the EU into the EU operated by KLM. Connections require an assessment of the booking and final destination.
Choices after cancellation
For a cancellation covered by EU261, you may be entitled to reimbursement or rerouting under the applicable conditions. A weather warning alone does not create the same right if your flight operates.
Care may remain due
Care is assessed separately from fixed compensation. Rerouting and a qualifying wait may involve meals and necessary accommodation.
Storm winds can be extraordinary
Weather incompatible with safe flight may exclude fixed compensation. KLM must establish the link to your disruption and show that reasonable measures were taken.
23 October snapshot: Friday confirmed, Saturday expected
- KLM’s spokesperson confirms 20 Friday cancellations.
- Another 22 cancellations are expected on Saturday; the final outcome needs to be checked again.
- These figures should not be presented as 42 flights already cancelled or as a closure of all Schiphol operations.
Which journeys and connections are affected?
The reviewed report provides no list of affected routes or flight numbers. Check each sector directly in your booking. A scheduled departure does not guarantee that a connection will be possible.
For connections on the same booking, ask KLM to check the whole journey to the final destination. With separate tickets, do not assume one carrier will arrange every replacement.
One storm, different circumstances for each flight
Ask for the documented cause of your particular cancellation. If your replacement journey is then affected by another disruption, that event’s cause and consequences also need to be assessed.
The storm has also affected the Channel Islands. See our updated Guernsey and Alderney article. Airport conditions and applicable passenger-rights rules differ between journeys.
Frequently asked questions
No. The report distinguishes 20 Friday cancellations from 22 further cancellations expected on Saturday.
No. KLM cancellations should not be equated with an airport-wide closure. Check your own flight.
It is not automatic. Winds incompatible with safe flight can be extraordinary, but the airline needs to establish the causal link and reasonable measures.
Yes, where EU261 and the relevant conditions apply. Cancellation choices and care during a qualifying wait are assessed separately from fixed compensation.
The reviewed report gives no route or flight-number list. Use your personal notification and KLM flight status.
Check your journey
The assessment depends on your flight, final arrival and documented cause of disruption.
Check your compensation
Free preliminary check. You can change your choice later.
Another flight problemShow all 2 sources
Every factual statement in this article rests on one of the sources below: EU regulations, judgments of the EU Court of Justice and the authorities' own pages.
Sources
- KLM cancels dozens of flights due to strong winds, spokesperson says · Reuters / MarketScreener · News media · retrieved 2026-10-23
- Air passenger rights · European Union / Your Europe · Authority · retrieved 2026-10-23