Thousands stranded at New Chitose Airport as record snow hits northern Hokkaido

Thousands of travelers found themselves sleeping on the floors of New Chitose Airport (CTS)  in Hokkaido this week after record-breaking snowfall paralyzed transport across Japan’s northern prefecture. Others sought shelter in underground walkways across the region as the relentless snow disrupted flights, trains, and road travel.

Local media reported that more than 2,000 people spent the night of January 26, 2026, stranded at the airport after over 90 flights were canceled due to severe snow conditions.  Airport authorities opened parts of the terminal overnight to accommodate the travelers, who had little choice but to wait out the storm.

The disruption followed an even more chaotic night on January 25, 2026, when approximately 7,000 people were forced to stay at the same airport as 56 flights to major cities across Japan were scrapped, Hokkaido Airports confirmed.

The relentless snowfall has rewritten weather records across the region. Sapporo, Hokkaido’s capital, saw 65 centimeters of snow accumulate over a 48-hour period ending January 26, 2026 at 22:00 local time. This was the highest level recorded since statistics began in 1999, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Just a day earlier, the city had logged 54 centimeters in 24 hours through the evening of January 25, 2026.

Another extreme snowstorm paralyzes Hokkaido’s New Chitose Airport: Gulfstream G550 runway overrun + A330 off taxiway = 92 flights axed, passengers stranded overnight.Is this just Hokkaido winter… or are storms getting fiercer and more disruptive to aviation because of climate… pic.twitter.com/3SK59Yfphk— Fahad Naim (@Fahadnaimb) December 14, 2025 Rail service took an equally hard hit. Over 500 train services were canceled on January 25, 2026 as crews worked to clear snow from tracks, affecting roughly 130,000 passengers, according to JR Hokkaido. 

Routes serving New Chitose Airport and connecting Sapporo with the cities of Asahikawa and Hakodate were among those suspended. By January 27, 2026, more than 170 additional services had been canceled, with local railway operators warning that some routes were unlikely to return to normal operations anytime soon.

According to local media reports, the disruptions left people scrambling for shelter. In Sapporo, city officials kept an underground walkway near Sapporo Station open overnight for those who couldn’t make it home. Local news reported that approximately 340 people had taken refuge there by 05:30 on January 26, 2026.

The persistent heavy snowfall shows no immediate signs of letting up, leaving transport officials and stranded travelers bracing for continued disruptions across Hokkaido.

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