Winter Storm Grounds US Flights, Disrupts African CEOs’ Travel Plans

A powerful winter storm sweeping across large parts of the United States has disrupted air travel from Africa, forcing cancellations and delays that have upended the schedules of business leaders and corporate executives travelling to and from the world’s largest economy.

Heavy snow, freezing rain and strong winds over the weekend led airlines to ground thousands of flights at major US hubs, including New York, Washington and Boston, triggering widespread knock-on effects for long-haul international services.

Several African carriers were forced to suspend or reschedule U.S.-bound flights as airports struggled with icy runways, reduced visibility and crew shortages.

Kenya Airways said it cancelled some of its Nairobi–New York services, including Sunday flights, citing unsafe operating conditions and congestion at destination airports.

The airline apologised to passengers and said it was working to rebook affected travellers.

For African chief executives, investors and senior managers, the disruptions translated into missed board meetings, delayed investment talks and extended hotel stays, as many rely on limited direct connections to the United States.

“With only one daily flight on some routes, a cancellation can push business travel back by several days,” said a Nairobi-based logistics executive whose trip to New York was postponed.

Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest carrier by network, also faced delays on its US routes linking Addis Ababa with cities such as Washington and New York, as aircraft and crews were stranded by the storm.

Together with Kenya Airways, Ethiopian is among the few African airlines offering regular direct services to North America, making their routes critical for corporate travel.

Other carriers serving the U.S. from Africa, including EgyptAir and Royal Air Maroc, reported schedule adjustments as they navigated congestion across transatlantic networks.

US aviation authorities said the storm had forced airlines to cancel thousands of flights over several days, with more disruptions expected as crews and aircraft were repositioned.

Some airports temporarily cancelled a majority of departures, while airlines issued travel waivers and urged passengers to rebook.

Meteorologists warned that further snowfall and freezing conditions could continue to hamper operations, slowing the recovery of air traffic well into the week.

Industry analysts said extreme weather events were increasingly exposing vulnerabilities in tightly scheduled airline networks, particularly on long-haul routes with limited backup options.

For African business travellers, the latest disruption has highlighted the risks of depending on a small number of direct US connections, at a time when trade, investment and diplomatic engagement between Africa and North America continue to deepen.

“Every cancelled flight has a cost,” said a Johannesburg-based investment adviser. “Deals are delayed, meetings are missed, and companies end up paying more to reroute their executives.”

gandae@businessdayafrica.org