As Schiphol continues to face severe staff shortages, the airport has announced a number of measures that are to be taken in order to limit crowds and queues at the airport over the busy summer holidays. The latest measure includes the cancellation of hundreds of flights this summer.
At the beginning of May, Schiphol CEO Dick Benschop said the airport would have to look into options for capping the number of outgoing flights over the summer, warning travellers that a number of flights would likely be cancelled. After an unsuccessful attempt to get airlines to cancel or redirect flights to other Dutch airports, Schiphol management has now taken the matter into their own hands.
On Thursday morning, De Telegraaf reported that the Schiphol was definitely going to scrap hundreds of flights this summer in order to prevent overcrowding and long queues. By Thursday evening, airport management had confirmed that steps would be taken in order to significantly reduce the number of passengers departing from Schiphol on a daily basis. Throughout the month of July, this figure has been capped at 67.500. For August, the figure is slightly higher, at 72.500.
This means that, on the airport's busiest days in July, dozens of flights will be cancelled, as the airport will have to reject or redirect up to 13.500 passengers a day. The cancelled flights will be distributed equally amongst all airlines. Corendon has already announced that 150 flights initially set to depart from Schiphol are to be redirected to Rotterdam The Hague Airport. Meanwhile, Transavia has capped the number of tickets available from July 7 and is looking at potentially cancelling some existing bookings.
Staff shortages have been wreaking havoc at the Netherlands’ largest airport for several weeks now, with travellers facing hours-long check-in and security queues. At the end of May, airport management unveiled a four-step plan designed to limit crowds over the summer.
While a recent recruitment fair proved relatively successful in filling dozens of vacancies, it seems as though the initial steps taken by the airport won’t be enough to accommodate the high passenger numbers expected throughout the summer holidays.
The General Dutch Association of Travel Agencies (ANVR) has already announced that it will be taking Schiphol Airport to court over the decision to scrap hundreds of flights, calling for compensation to be issued to cover the damage caused. ANVR warns that the airport's plan for the coming months means a number of travel organisations could face bankruptcy.
Are you planning to travel via Schiphol over the coming months? Read our top tips to make sure your journey goes as smoothly as possible.
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