AMSTERDAM – Travelers flying from Amsterdam to the Caribbean, including Curaçao, Bonaire, and Aruba, are facing major disruptions for the fifth consecutive day, as delays continue to ripple through the aviation system. What began on January 3 with airspace disruptions linked to tensions between the United States and Venezuela has been compounded by severe winter weather in the Netherlands, making recovery slow and uneven.
After the initial airspace complications earlier this month, snowfall and icy conditions around Schiphol Airport have significantly hampered aircraft handling, crew rotations, and ground operations. As a result, many flights have been delayed, and airlines continue to struggle to restore normal schedules.
Extra Repatriation Flight by TUI
While many short-haul European flights have been canceled altogether, long-haul services to the Caribbean have so far mainly experienced delays rather than cancellations. Several flights operated by TUI and KLM departed later than planned on Tuesday.
The TUI fly flight OR373 to Bonaire, operated with a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was originally scheduled to leave at 9:10 a.m. local time but eventually departed at 10:39 a.m. According to a TUI spokesperson, the flight was added as a special repatriation service to transport passengers who had been stranded since Saturday after multiple cancellations.
KLM flight KL767, which operates via Oranjestad as part of its route to Bonaire, also experienced delays. The aircraft was initially scheduled to depart at 12:50 p.m., with the latest estimate pushing departure to just after 2:00 p.m.
A flight operated by Corendon also reported a modest delay, with departure now expected around 3:37 p.m.
Airlines stressed that departure times remain provisional and may shift throughout the day depending on weather developments and operational constraints.
Rail Disruptions Add to Travel Chaos
The situation has been further aggravated by widespread disruptions on the Dutch rail network. Nederlandse Spoorwegen has urged passengers to postpone non-essential travel where possible, advising travelers to regularly check whether train services are running.
Winter conditions have caused failures across several key routes, particularly around Roosendaal, Breda, The Hague, and Rotterdam. Train traffic has also been suspended on the Hoofddorp–Schiphol–Hilversum corridor, while international high-speed rail services have been halted entirely.
It remains unclear how long the disruptions will persist. Weather forecasts indicate that snowfall may move eastward across the country in the coming hours, potentially worsening conditions nationwide. With winter weather expected to continue in the days ahead, further delays for flights to the Caribbean cannot be ruled out.
Passengers traveling to the Caribbean are strongly advised to monitor their flight status closely and prepare for additional delays.