Dutch airline KLM said on Tuesday that it was running out of fluid to remove ice from aircraft at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, where cold weather has caused thousands of flight cancellations over the past five days.
KLM said its 25 de-icing trucks have been in continuous use in Amsterdam, its main hub, consuming around 85,000 liters per day of a mixture of heated water and glycol used to clear departing aircraft of snow and ice before takeoff.
"Since Friday KLM has been de-icing aircraft at Schiphol around the clock using de-icing fluid delivered daily," the Dutch arm of airline group Air France-KLM said.
"Due to a combination of extreme weather conditions and delays in supply from the provider, stock levels are running low. This challenge is currently widespread across Europe," it added.
KLM said employees had been sent to its supplier in Germany to pick up more de-icing fluid, and it could not give a specific timeframe for when it might run out if stocks are not replenished.
"We are doing everything we can to prevent it," KLM spokesperson Anoesjka Aspeslagh said.
Winter conditions expected to persist over coming days
Schiphol Airport, meanwhile, said it still had ample supplies of a different type of de-icing fluid it uses to remove ice and snow from runways.
KLM canceled at least 300 flights on Tuesday to and from Amsterdam, where it is the largest operator.
Winter conditions are expected to persist in the Netherlands over the coming days, with heavy snowfall and strong winds forecast for Wednesday morning.