KLM Royal Dutch Airlines cancelled dozens of flights to and from Amsterdam this weekend to improve working conditions for its staff, Dutch news agency ANP reported on Friday.
A spokesperson for the Air France-KLM group told ANP that the flights were cancelled preventively to relieve the pressure on its workers.
The cancellations follow a wildcat strike by KLM ground staff at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol last Saturday. The unions were demanding pay rises and better working conditions, causing a high number of delays and cancellations at the airport.
The airport had asked airlines on Thursday to consider cutting flights, fearing its terminals could become overcrowded again over the weekend, as was the case on 25 April. KLM followed the advice and cancelled 28 return flights on Friday, with more to be announced for Saturday and Sunday.
KLM issued the following statement on Friday afternoon:
Statement on busy holiday weekend and related cancellations on 29-30th of April and 1st of May
KLM has cancelled up to 47 flights (roundtrips and one way) for coming Saturday and Sunday. Earlier, KLM already announced the cancellation of a total of 28 round trip flights for Friday. These cancellations need to contribute to our effort to offer most of our customers a pleasant start and return of their journey.
Cancelling flights needs to contribute to the request of Schiphol to keep processes manageable at the airport because of their staff shortage. Cancelling flights and adjusting KLM’s flight schedules also helps controlling our own workload.
KLM’s flight schedule will be optimised throughout the weekend. At this point in time, we do not expect additional cancellations are needed. However, further cancellations can not be ruled out.
We urge passengers to get to the airport on time. KLM’s recommends being at the airport at least 3 hours prior to the time of departure of your flight.
