Dutch airline KLM announced it will cancel 10 to 20 flights to European destinations every day until 28 August due to staff shortages, the carrier announced on Friday.
The move, effective immediately, is intended to “relieve pressure” from staff at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport and follows recent capacity cuts at the Netherlands’ hub airport due to a lack of security staff.
In a statement the carrier said pressure at the airport is “currently relentless” and that the planned flight cancellations are an attempt to “restore operational stability”.
The company will also “strongly restrict” remaining ticket sales on its Cityhopper and European routes to allow customers whose flights were cancelled to rebook.
“This measure will supplement the existing restriction on sales, in order to accommodate passengers who have to be rebooked after missing their flight due to long queues at Schiphol and to comply with restrictions Schiphol has imposed on the number of passengers boarding locally,” the carrier said.
The announcement comes just days after the airline’s chief operating officer René de Groot announced his departure after eight years in the role. De Groot will join British Airways as COO in October.