The winter storm that battered Amsterdam, Paris and Brussels earlier in the week swept into Poland on 7–8 January, paralysing domestic transport just as executives resumed post-holiday travel. Warsaw Chopin Airport logged six cancellations and over 230 delays; Kraków–Balice recorded eight cancellations and 45 delays, and LOT diverted two Boeing 737 MAX flights to Katowice and Poznań. ([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-10/pl/storm-goretti-paralyses-polish-air-and-rail-networks-delaying-hundreds-of-business-trips/))
Rail passengers fared little better: PKP Intercity services on north–south corridors ran up to 90 minutes late while parts of the S7 expressway crawled under fresh snowfall. A Europe-wide de-icing-fluid shortage exacerbated apron queues, leaving aircraft on the ground until crew duty times expired. ([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-10/pl/storm-goretti-paralyses-polish-air-and-rail-networks-delaying-hundreds-of-business-trips/))
Amid the chaos, VisaHQ can step in to keep itineraries from collapsing. Its Warsaw-based team helps travellers secure last-minute Schengen extensions, replacement residence proofs and urgent business visas, all of which can be requested and tracked online at https://www.visahq.com/poland/—a useful safety net when weather turns plans upside down.
![Storm Goretti cripples Polish air and rail networks, derailing post-holiday business travel]()
For mobility managers the timing is painful. Many had scheduled employee moves to coincide with Poland’s new MOS e-filing rules; missed onboarding sessions now require costly reroutes, often via Scandinavian hubs only marginally less affected by the weather. Travel insurers report a spike in claims for hotel nights and missed-connection costs. ([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-10/pl/storm-goretti-paralyses-polish-air-and-rail-networks-delaying-hundreds-of-business-trips/))
Airports expect operations to normalise by 9 January if temperatures rise, but urge travellers to build generous buffers and verify that insurance covers extreme weather. Companies with heavy intra-EU travel should revisit duty-of-care policies, ensure travellers carry proof of residence when rebooking via non-Schengen hubs, and consider flexible tickets during the peak winter-weather window. ([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-10/pl/storm-goretti-paralyses-polish-air-and-rail-networks-delaying-hundreds-of-business-trips/))
The episode revives debate over Europe’s hub-and-spoke resilience as climate-driven disruptions become more frequent. In Poland, pressure is mounting on carriers and rail operators to stockpile de-icing fluid and improve real-time passenger information.
Rail passengers fared little better: PKP Intercity services on north–south corridors ran up to 90 minutes late while parts of the S7 expressway crawled under fresh snowfall. A Europe-wide de-icing-fluid shortage exacerbated apron queues, leaving aircraft on the ground until crew duty times expired. ([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-10/pl/storm-goretti-paralyses-polish-air-and-rail-networks-delaying-hundreds-of-business-trips/))
Amid the chaos, VisaHQ can step in to keep itineraries from collapsing. Its Warsaw-based team helps travellers secure last-minute Schengen extensions, replacement residence proofs and urgent business visas, all of which can be requested and tracked online at https://www.visahq.com/poland/—a useful safety net when weather turns plans upside down.
For mobility managers the timing is painful. Many had scheduled employee moves to coincide with Poland’s new MOS e-filing rules; missed onboarding sessions now require costly reroutes, often via Scandinavian hubs only marginally less affected by the weather. Travel insurers report a spike in claims for hotel nights and missed-connection costs. ([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-10/pl/storm-goretti-paralyses-polish-air-and-rail-networks-delaying-hundreds-of-business-trips/))
Airports expect operations to normalise by 9 January if temperatures rise, but urge travellers to build generous buffers and verify that insurance covers extreme weather. Companies with heavy intra-EU travel should revisit duty-of-care policies, ensure travellers carry proof of residence when rebooking via non-Schengen hubs, and consider flexible tickets during the peak winter-weather window. ([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-10/pl/storm-goretti-paralyses-polish-air-and-rail-networks-delaying-hundreds-of-business-trips/))
The episode revives debate over Europe’s hub-and-spoke resilience as climate-driven disruptions become more frequent. In Poland, pressure is mounting on carriers and rail operators to stockpile de-icing fluid and improve real-time passenger information.
