The summer holidays may be over, but the chaos at Schiphol Airport continues. Monday saw travellers once again facing hours-long queues, with the airport eventually pleading with airlines to cancel flights in order to limit the crowds. While Schiphol was optimistic that the situation would be better on Tuesday, it seems as though little has changed.
Many would be forgiven for thinking that the craziness at Schiphol had died down over the last few weeks, after airport management stepped up recruitment efforts to fill jobs and put a number of measures in place to prevent excessive queues and wait times. For a while, it seemed as though the worst was over, but this week appears to have brought more issues to the Netherlands’ largest airport.
On Monday morning, reports emerged that travellers were having to queue in tents outside of the airport building, as result of staff shortages at security checkpoints. "It is a busy day, but there are also fewer security guards than expected. The colleagues who work in the terminals are working with all their might to allow everyone to travel," a spokesperson explained to NU.
By Monday afternoon, the airport was asking airlines to cancel flights expected to depart between 4pm and 11pm in order to limit the number of travellers. It’s not clear how many flights were cancelled as a result of this request, but the travel plans of between 5.000 and 10.000 people are reported to have been affected by the long wait times.
Early on Tuesday morning, the airport’s operational director Hanne Buis agreed that Monday had been a “worthless day,” but told RTL Nieuws that Tuesday would be “more manageable.” However, NOS reports that the airport is preparing for another day of peak busyness, and that it is unclear whether there will be enough security guards.
"Travellers must prepare, that is part of this time. They must not come too early and not too late,” a spokesperson advised, adding that passengers should wear “comfortable shoes” in preparation for the long queues.
The airport also continues to face baggage handling issues, with suitcases piling up in the baggage hall.
Thumb: Fery Iswandy via Shutterstock.