The Schiphol airport crisis continues to add to passengers’ and airline woes. Days after the airport CEO, Dick Benschop handed over his resignation, the airport issued a statement to curb the daily passenger numbers by 18% until at least October 31, 2022
Commenting on the new measures Hanne Buis, chief operating officer of the Royal Schiphol Group said: “This decision is bad news for passengers and for airlines. The reduction is necessary to guarantee the safety of our passengers and employees."
Criticising the new steps, airline KLM said: “Schiphol's decision was "disappointing. Short notice of the move would affect its passengers and reputation. KLM will make every effort to ensure that passengers who have already booked tickets will, in fact, be able to travel.” It also added that those willing to fly later could rebook flights at no extra cost.
The airport said its decision would reduce average passenger numbers through the airport to 54,500 a day for the rest of September and to 57,000 in October.
Schiphol, one of Europe's busiest airports, continues to grapple with long lines mainly due to a shortage of security staff, leading to some travellers missing their flights. Travel at Schiphol has been disrupted on and off since April. Hundreds of flights have been cancelled, and queues have become routine.
Last week, the airport's chief executive, Dick Benschop, handed in his notice after his measures to overcome the crisis proved insufficient.