Storm Benjamin: 750 Schiphol flights canceled, delayed; Train schedule adjusted

Storm Benjamin was set to make landfall in Zeeland, bringing gusts up to 120 kilometers per hour that triggered a code orange warning for the coastal provinces, and a code yellow alert for the rest of the country. Schiphol Airport’s website already listed 158 canceled flights by 3 p.m. on Thursday, and dozens more on Friday. As of 6:20 p.m., airlines operating at Schiphol had cancelled 106 departures and 77 arrivals on Thursday, and another 38 flights due to arrive the following day.

A total of 517 flights were delayed by the end of Thursday afternoon, including 336 departures. Apart from the 181 delayed flights scheduled to land at the Amsterdam airport on Thursday, the passengers on 12 more flights scheduled for Friday were already told they can expect to leave later than planned.

The bulk of the cancellations are KLM flights. The Dutch airline preemptively canceled 85 roundtrip flights due to the stormy weather, opting to give travelers earlier certainty. “Passengers will be informed about this as quickly as possible and are being rebooked to the next available option,” a KLM spokesperson told ANP. “We are very sorry for the passengers who are affected by this.”

Rail and road managers and airlines were all expecting problems from the strong winds. The impending storm prompted national railway NS to adjust the train timetable in Zeeland, running fewer trains. And the Rijkswaterstaat and ANWB expect a nightmare of an evening rush hour.

The rail company NS also adjusted its timetable in Zeeland. From 3:00 p.m., fewer trains are running between Roosendaal and Vlissingen. “Expect longer travel times, additional transfers, and increased crowding,” the rail company said.

The Rijkswaterstaat expects Storm Benjamin to cause “significant disruption on highways and bridges” in the coastal provinces. The infrastructure agency has extra recovery vehicles on standby. “Adjust your driving style and prepare for a heavy evening rush hour.”

The travelers’ organization ANWB also expects a difficult rush hour this evening. Thursday evenings typically already have busy rush hours, even during school holidays. The weather will not help. The organization urged road users to prepare well and drive carefully.

“If you don’t need to go on the road, stay safely indoors,” a spokesperson told NU.nl. “Keep your distance, keep your hands on the wheel, and pay attention to other road users.”

Storm Benjamin is also causing issues on the water. The Princess Seaways ferry to England departed at 3:00 p.m., instead of the scheduled 5:30 p.m., “to avoid the height of the storm,” a spokesperson for operator DFDS told ANP.

The other ferry, King Seaways, is still operating as scheduled. “We are continuously monitoring the weather conditions and will inform our customers if there are any changes.”

The Stena Line ferries from Hoek van Holland are not experiencing any delays yet, a spokesperson reported.