A powerful windstorm forced the Netherlands’ Schiphol Airport to close temporarily on Thursday, forcing airlines to cancel 260 flights.
The airport in Amsterdam said that air traffic had been suspended because of “severe weather conditions,” while the Dutch airline KLM said “unfavorable wind” was disrupting flight schedules.
The airport said it hoped to gradually resume air traffic by midday (6 a.m. ET).
“Air traffic is restricted for safety reasons during a storm. This is because of the limited number of runways available to Air Traffic Control … under such conditions where aircraft can land or take off safely,” the airport said in a statement.
Schiphol Airport is a major hub for European flights.
The tracking app FlightRadar24 said many planes were diverting from Schiphol to other airports in the region because of wind speeds of up to 65 knots. It said Dusseldorf airport in Germany was also affected by strong winds.