A severe winter storm blanketing much of northern and western Europe on 15 February forced Schiphol, Charles-de-Gaulle, Heathrow and four other major hubs to ground 733 flights and delay more than 5,000. While the headlines centred on Air France-KLM and easyJet, the disruption rippled as far afield as São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro: at least five Brazil-bound services—AF456/457 (Paris–GRU), KL791/792 (Amsterdam–GRU) and BA249/248 (London-Heathrow–GIG)—left hours behind schedule after arriving aircraft and crews became snow-locked. (travelandtourworld.com)
For Brazilian corporates that rely on overnight Europe-Brazil links to move executives and time-critical cargo, the timing is awkward. Carnival week already trims capacity as some airlines down-gauge or cancel marginal flights; unexpected winter weather multiplies the risk. Freight forwarders report that high-value perishables such as salmon and cut flowers destined for São Paulo’s CEASA market are being re-routed via Madrid and Lisbon, adding 12–18 hours to transit times.
If itinerary changes mean an unexpected layover or route alteration, travellers may suddenly require new or different transit visas. VisaHQ can help smooth this process by providing fast, online application services and real-time guidance on Schengen and UK visa requirements—visit https://www.visahq.com/brazil/ for details.
![European snowstorm strands Brazil-bound passengers as 733 flights are cancelled across six countries]()
Passenger-rights regimes differ sharply: EU261 provides fixed compensation once delays exceed three hours, but the regulation does not apply to non-EU carriers departing from Brazil. Travel managers therefore advise booking through-tickets on European airlines when itineraries route via the continent; doing so keeps the entire journey under EU261’s umbrella even though the final leg is long-haul to Brazil.
Looking ahead, meteorologists expect the snow band to clear the Low Countries by late Monday, allowing carriers to run recovery flights and reposition crews. However, limited de-icing capacity at Schiphol and staff shortages at CDG’s ground-handling companies could see residual delays spill into Tuesday.
Travellers heading to Brazil this week should monitor apps such as FlightRadar24, register for automated alerts from their airlines and, where possible, hold flexible hotel bookings in both origin and destination cities.
For Brazilian corporates that rely on overnight Europe-Brazil links to move executives and time-critical cargo, the timing is awkward. Carnival week already trims capacity as some airlines down-gauge or cancel marginal flights; unexpected winter weather multiplies the risk. Freight forwarders report that high-value perishables such as salmon and cut flowers destined for São Paulo’s CEASA market are being re-routed via Madrid and Lisbon, adding 12–18 hours to transit times.
If itinerary changes mean an unexpected layover or route alteration, travellers may suddenly require new or different transit visas. VisaHQ can help smooth this process by providing fast, online application services and real-time guidance on Schengen and UK visa requirements—visit https://www.visahq.com/brazil/ for details.
Passenger-rights regimes differ sharply: EU261 provides fixed compensation once delays exceed three hours, but the regulation does not apply to non-EU carriers departing from Brazil. Travel managers therefore advise booking through-tickets on European airlines when itineraries route via the continent; doing so keeps the entire journey under EU261’s umbrella even though the final leg is long-haul to Brazil.
Looking ahead, meteorologists expect the snow band to clear the Low Countries by late Monday, allowing carriers to run recovery flights and reposition crews. However, limited de-icing capacity at Schiphol and staff shortages at CDG’s ground-handling companies could see residual delays spill into Tuesday.
Travellers heading to Brazil this week should monitor apps such as FlightRadar24, register for automated alerts from their airlines and, where possible, hold flexible hotel bookings in both origin and destination cities.
