An Atlantic snow front that swept across northern France on Monday, 5 January, blanketed runways at Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle (CDG) and Orly airports, triggering France’s civil-aviation authority (DGAC) to activate its severe-weather plan. Airlines were instructed to cancel 15 % of scheduled take-offs and landings between midday and late evening—roughly 180 movements—while de-icing teams worked to clear ice from wide-body jets and plough snow from taxiways. ([reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/world/france-asks-airlines-cancel-15-flights-paris-main-airports-after-snowfalls-2026-01-05/?utm_source=openai))
The cuts applied to both European short-haul rotations and long-haul departures, forcing carriers such as Air France, easyJet and Delta to scramble for spare slots and re-book thousands of business travellers. Although the hubs remained technically open, ground-handling bottlenecks extended turnaround times by up to 40 minutes, cascading delays throughout the network.
For international passengers suddenly faced with re-routing through another Schengen hub or needing to extend their stay in France, VisaHQ can fast-track the necessary entry or transit paperwork online and provide real-time status updates—saving precious time when flights are disrupted. Full details on the service are available at https://www.visahq.com/france/.
![Snowstorm Forces 15 % Flight Cut at Paris-CDG and Orly]()
From a mobility standpoint, employers should anticipate missed connections and project start-dates slipping by 24–48 hours. HR and travel managers are advised to invoke “weather waiver” policies, allowing ticket changes without penalty, and to remind staff to use public transport to reach the airports—authorities warned that icy roads around Roissy and Orly could create tailbacks.
The incident also served as a live test of the airports’ new resilience protocols ahead of the 2026 tourist-summer peak. CDG recently doubled its de-icing truck fleet and introduced predictive ground-operations software, yet Monday’s backlog shows further capacity may be required as climate volatility intensifies.
Travellers should monitor airline apps for re-routing options via Lyon or Brussels, and companies with time-critical cargo may need to shift shipments to Beauvais-Tillé or Luxembourg until conditions normalise.
The cuts applied to both European short-haul rotations and long-haul departures, forcing carriers such as Air France, easyJet and Delta to scramble for spare slots and re-book thousands of business travellers. Although the hubs remained technically open, ground-handling bottlenecks extended turnaround times by up to 40 minutes, cascading delays throughout the network.
For international passengers suddenly faced with re-routing through another Schengen hub or needing to extend their stay in France, VisaHQ can fast-track the necessary entry or transit paperwork online and provide real-time status updates—saving precious time when flights are disrupted. Full details on the service are available at https://www.visahq.com/france/.
From a mobility standpoint, employers should anticipate missed connections and project start-dates slipping by 24–48 hours. HR and travel managers are advised to invoke “weather waiver” policies, allowing ticket changes without penalty, and to remind staff to use public transport to reach the airports—authorities warned that icy roads around Roissy and Orly could create tailbacks.
The incident also served as a live test of the airports’ new resilience protocols ahead of the 2026 tourist-summer peak. CDG recently doubled its de-icing truck fleet and introduced predictive ground-operations software, yet Monday’s backlog shows further capacity may be required as climate volatility intensifies.
Travellers should monitor airline apps for re-routing options via Lyon or Brussels, and companies with time-critical cargo may need to shift shipments to Beauvais-Tillé or Luxembourg until conditions normalise.
