Amsterdam Airport Schiphol only managed to prevent a collapse like last weekend due to a lack of ground staff thanks to the cancellation of dozens of flights. Passengers would still have to expect crowds and long waiting times, the airport said. Long queues formed in front of the terminal building.
The fire brigade distributed water to those waiting. The airline KLM had canceled 47 flights following a call from the airport. Other airlines shifted some flights to Rotterdam. As the airport announced, the number of passengers at Schiphol fell by around 3,500 today.
lack of ground staff
The congestion at Schiphol, which is also a major international hub, is being caused by a shortage of ground staff, according to the airport. There are no more workers to be found on the job market. In order to be able to handle air traffic in the middle of the Dutch spring break, the airport had called on airlines to cancel flights. While KLM followed the call, other airlines protested. In particular, holiday airlines did not want to let holidaymakers down. KLM called on travelers to be at the airport at least three hours before departure.
At the start of vacation in the Netherlands last Saturday, the situation got out of hand following an unannounced walkout by ground workers from the airline KLM. Dozens of flights had to be canceled at short notice, thousands of travelers were backed up in the terminals. Motorway exits were closed and travelers were asked not to go to the airport.
