KLM canceled more than 100 flights at Amsterdam Schiphol today after a two-hour ground-crew strike from 08:00 to 10:00 halted core airport operations. The airline cautioned in advance that delays were expected and that disruptions could ripple through later flights. A spokesperson for the Dutch arm of Air France-KLM said the cancellations affected approximately 27,000 passengers.
The stoppage covered baggage handling, aircraft towing, passenger assistance, and technical inspections, preventing departures and arrivals. “Passengers affected by the cancellations will be rebooked on the first available flights,” said a KLM spokesperson, according to a report by B92. KLM said it was working on a logistical puzzle that could take days to resolve and noted constraints tied to staff and aircraft availability, according to NOS.
A four-hour work stoppage was scheduled for Wednesday, September 17, and was expected to cause another upheaval at Amsterdam Schiphol with knock-on effects across the schedule.
The dispute arose after Dutch unions FNV and CNV rejected a collective agreement KLM reached with three smaller unions, citing inadequate wage increases amid rising living costs, too few permanent contracts for ground staff, and unclear rules for demanding jobs. KLM reached agreements with pilots and other groups, and the Air France-KLM Group reached a deal with some unions last week. The contested agreement included a 2.25% pay rise through the end of 2026, a one-time 750-euro bonus, an extended early retirement scheme, and new profit-sharing arrangements.
Initial talks between KLM and the unions broke off in June. Strike attempts in June and early July were postponed or blocked after KLM went to court, with judges citing safety risks and potential operational chaos during the holiday period and near the NATO summit in The Hague.
“KLM could have prevented this strike 10 months ago; now we are here, and unfortunately, it’s at the expense of the passengers and the operation, but it’s important that there is a fair distribution between pilots, cabin crew, and ground staff,” said Souleiman Amallah, a CNV official. “We all ensure that the airplane goes into the air. If the pilot is not on board, we don’t fly, and not if we don’t put kerosene in it,” said one of the strikers.
FNV said Schiphol and KLM had enough time to prepare for the stoppage. The company said delays across the system were manageable, though additional delays could occur as the schedule reset.
Airlines across Europe faced waves of labor actions in the summer; Ryanair said it canceled multiple July flights due to French air-traffic-control strikes.
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