Hundreds of flights were canceled across Western Europe as a severe cold snap brought heavy snowfall and ice, causing widespread travel chaos. The disruptions affected air travel, Eurostar services, and road haulage, impacting international travel and commerce.

More than 700 flights were canceled at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam on Wednesday, a major international transport hub. France's civil aviation authority requested airlines to reduce 40% of scheduled flights at Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris's primary international airport. The cancellations left thousands of travelers stranded and disrupted travel plans during the busy holiday season.

The extreme weather has also resulted in fatalities. At least six people have died in weather-related incidents across Europe this week, including five in France and one in Bosnia, highlighting the dangers posed by the freezing conditions.

KLM, the Dutch national airline, warned that Schiphol Airport was nearing depletion of its de-icing fluid reserves after several days of sub-freezing temperatures. Stephan Donker, a spokesperson for Schiphol Airport, described the situation as "exceptional," noting that more than 1,000 travelers were forced to spend the night at the airport. According to Donker, hundreds of beds were set up both before and after security checkpoints, and food and drinks were provided to stranded passengers.

The disruptions are expected to have ripple effects throughout the European transportation network, with potential for further delays and cancellations in the coming days. The big freeze underscores the vulnerability of modern transportation infrastructure to extreme weather events, a challenge faced by nations globally. The reliance on air travel for both business and tourism means that such disruptions can have significant economic consequences, affecting supply chains and tourism revenue.

The current cold snap is part of a larger pattern of increasingly volatile weather conditions experienced across the globe, which scientists attribute to climate change. While individual weather events cannot be directly linked to climate change, the increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events are consistent with climate models predicting the effects of a warming planet. European governments are facing increasing pressure to invest in infrastructure that is more resilient to extreme weather, as well as to implement policies to mitigate climate change.