2025 has got off to a challenging start for airlines and airports around the world, with severe weather over the weekend resulting in considerable disruption. Airports in the UK, US, and Germany were hit particularly hard, as snowy conditions tested the operational resilience of even the largest hubs. The residual effects of this operational disruption are still being felt today, particularly at US airports.
A snowy start to 2025
Over in the US, Kansas City International (MCI) in the state of Missouri was hit particularly hard by the winter weather. While the snowy conditions caused considerable operational disruption for regular travelers, even VIP guests weren’t spared from the chaos. Indeed, Simple Flying reported over the weekend that the Kansas City Chiefs NFL team were also stuck on the apron for several hours.
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According to data from FlightAware, Kansas City was the airport with the most inbound cancelations anywhere in the world on Saturday, with 59 flights (33% of the day’s traffic) suffering this fate, and a further 15 arrivals (8%) being delayed. Meanwhile, 36 departures (22%) were canceled, with the same number being delayed. This saw Kansas City rank second in the world by canceled departures.
According to Travel & Tour World, the ice in the area was so severe that the airport was briefly closed on Saturday, with operations only resuming that evening. The situation worsened on Sunday, with 143 departures (94%) and 140 arrivals (90%) being canceled due to, as the Kansas City Star put it, a
Severe Winter Storms Disrupt Air Travel In The US, UK & Germany
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