An Arctic weather system that swept across Ireland and much of northern Europe on 2-3 January is continuing to snarl airline schedules, with knock-on effects expected through the first full business week of 2026. Dublin Airport reported that routine de-icing pushed back dozens of departures on Saturday and early Sunday, including key business routes to London, Paris and Amsterdam. Aer Lingus, KLM and Delta flights registered delays ranging from 40 minutes to over two hours as ground crews battled sub-zero temperatures of –5 °C.
While airport operator daa characterised operations as ‘a normal winter day’, corporate travel managers experienced cascading disruptions as late-running short-haul aircraft missed connection banks in Amsterdam, Paris-CDG and Heathrow. KLM cancelled five rotations on the Dublin-Amsterdam route, forcing passengers onto later services and reducing onward connectivity to Asia and North America.
The impact was felt nationwide. Cork Airport cancelled its early-morning Amsterdam departure and reported a late inbound from Izmir, while Shannon Airport saw only minor schedule slippage thanks to quicker runway clearance. Northern Ireland bore the brunt: Belfast City Airport logged delays of up to seven hours and multiple cancellations, particularly on Amsterdam and London links.
![Arctic Blast Triggers Flight Delays at Dublin, Cork and Shannon Airports]()
Amid weather-driven rerouting, travellers may suddenly require visas for unexpected transit points. VisaHQ’s Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) can fast-track transit or short-stay visas, provide real-time application tracking and clarify entry rules, giving corporate mobility teams a rapid, reliable way to keep staff on the move despite flight disruptions.
Travel-risk specialists say that although Ireland’s main airports maintain robust de-icing capacity, extreme cold in continental hubs creates a domino effect. Companies running Monday-morning commuter shuttles between Dublin and major EU capitals have been advised to authorise flexible tickets or shift critical meetings online.
Looking ahead, Met Éireann expects temperatures to remain below seasonal norms until mid-week, and airlines have pre-emptively loaded buffer time into rosters. Mobility teams should encourage employees to monitor carrier apps, allow extra airport dwell time for manual de-icing, and avoid tight same-day connections for the next 48 hours.
While airport operator daa characterised operations as ‘a normal winter day’, corporate travel managers experienced cascading disruptions as late-running short-haul aircraft missed connection banks in Amsterdam, Paris-CDG and Heathrow. KLM cancelled five rotations on the Dublin-Amsterdam route, forcing passengers onto later services and reducing onward connectivity to Asia and North America.
The impact was felt nationwide. Cork Airport cancelled its early-morning Amsterdam departure and reported a late inbound from Izmir, while Shannon Airport saw only minor schedule slippage thanks to quicker runway clearance. Northern Ireland bore the brunt: Belfast City Airport logged delays of up to seven hours and multiple cancellations, particularly on Amsterdam and London links.
Amid weather-driven rerouting, travellers may suddenly require visas for unexpected transit points. VisaHQ’s Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) can fast-track transit or short-stay visas, provide real-time application tracking and clarify entry rules, giving corporate mobility teams a rapid, reliable way to keep staff on the move despite flight disruptions.
Travel-risk specialists say that although Ireland’s main airports maintain robust de-icing capacity, extreme cold in continental hubs creates a domino effect. Companies running Monday-morning commuter shuttles between Dublin and major EU capitals have been advised to authorise flexible tickets or shift critical meetings online.
Looking ahead, Met Éireann expects temperatures to remain below seasonal norms until mid-week, and airlines have pre-emptively loaded buffer time into rosters. Mobility teams should encourage employees to monitor carrier apps, allow extra airport dwell time for manual de-icing, and avoid tight same-day connections for the next 48 hours.
