Storm Nils swept across southwest France and the Iberian Peninsula on 12–13 February, killing three people—two in France, one in Spain—and knocking out power to almost half a million households. AFP reports that wind gusts above 140 km/h uprooted trees and flipped lorries on the A9 motorway near Perpignan, while torrential rain flooded sections of the Bordeaux ring road and prompted the closure of the A63 towards the Spanish border.
Air France and Vueling cancelled at least 25 flights at Bordeaux-Mérignac and Bilbao, while rail operator Renfe suspended Barcelona–Marseille and Madrid–Bordeaux services because fallen trees blocked cross-border tracks. Brittany Ferries diverted its Bilbao–Roscoff sailing to Santander, citing unsafe swell in the Bay of Biscay.
If those last-minute diversions force business travellers to reroute through extra countries, they may suddenly need additional transit permissions or new passport pages. VisaHQ’s portal can instantly flag updated entry rules, arrange next-day courier pick-up of documents via its France office, and fast-track the paperwork so travellers keep moving despite the chaos. Full details are available at https://www.visahq.com/france/
![Storm Nils leaves three dead and cripples Franco-Spanish transport links]()
French grid operator Enedis mobilised 3,000 technicians, restoring power to half of the 900,000 affected customers within 24 hours, but warned that submerged substations could delay full reconnection. Business parks around Toulouse-Blagnac airport experienced internet outages after fibre backhaul links were cut by falling debris, causing some multinational shared-service centres to switch staff to remote work.
For mobility managers, the storm underscores the need for multi-modal evacuation options and real-time communication channels with travelling staff. Companies with assignees in Occitanie or Nouvelle-Aquitaine should check local prefecture sites for curfews or road-access permits before dispatching relocation vans. Travel insurers remind policy-holders that claims for missed meetings are only covered if delays exceed six hours and travellers obtained written confirmation from carriers.
Meteorologists say Storm Nils has moved eastwards but that sodden ground could still trigger landslides in the Pyrenees, threatening the Pau–Huesca mountain road that many expatriates use when shuttling between French and Spanish offices.
Air France and Vueling cancelled at least 25 flights at Bordeaux-Mérignac and Bilbao, while rail operator Renfe suspended Barcelona–Marseille and Madrid–Bordeaux services because fallen trees blocked cross-border tracks. Brittany Ferries diverted its Bilbao–Roscoff sailing to Santander, citing unsafe swell in the Bay of Biscay.
If those last-minute diversions force business travellers to reroute through extra countries, they may suddenly need additional transit permissions or new passport pages. VisaHQ’s portal can instantly flag updated entry rules, arrange next-day courier pick-up of documents via its France office, and fast-track the paperwork so travellers keep moving despite the chaos. Full details are available at https://www.visahq.com/france/
French grid operator Enedis mobilised 3,000 technicians, restoring power to half of the 900,000 affected customers within 24 hours, but warned that submerged substations could delay full reconnection. Business parks around Toulouse-Blagnac airport experienced internet outages after fibre backhaul links were cut by falling debris, causing some multinational shared-service centres to switch staff to remote work.
For mobility managers, the storm underscores the need for multi-modal evacuation options and real-time communication channels with travelling staff. Companies with assignees in Occitanie or Nouvelle-Aquitaine should check local prefecture sites for curfews or road-access permits before dispatching relocation vans. Travel insurers remind policy-holders that claims for missed meetings are only covered if delays exceed six hours and travellers obtained written confirmation from carriers.
Meteorologists say Storm Nils has moved eastwards but that sodden ground could still trigger landslides in the Pyrenees, threatening the Pau–Huesca mountain road that many expatriates use when shuttling between French and Spanish offices.
