KLM flights will return to normal Sunday; Schiphol expects busy day

KLM expects on Sunday "to be able to carry out the operation again as previously planned" without empty planes to Schiphol from European destinations such as on Saturday, the airline reports. However, Schiphol expects a busy Sunday due to Pentecost weekend. 

On Saturday, 42 KLM flights returned to Schiphol empty because the airport was too packed. In particular, by not taking transfer passengers on flights, those travelers did not get stranded at the overcrowded airport.

Although Schiphol employees say Sunday is a very busy day at the airport, KLM does not expect to employ the measure again. According to KLM, the measure was necessary because of unfavorable weather conditions and runway maintenance. That caused a domino effect and disruptions on Saturday, Schiphol reported earlier.

After a busy day at the airport, things calmed down on Saturday evening. "We see that these difficult decisions have had the intended effect and that there is more peace of mind in the operation and at the airport," said a spokesperson. KLM chief operating officer René de Groot called the steps "incredibly annoying." 

However, on Sunday around 4:15 a.m. there was a continuous flow of travelers toward departure halls 1 and 2. Despite the long lines, things go fairly smoothly at the check-in counters, after which travelers arrive in a long line of people towards customs.

Schiphol employees said earlier that they were taking into account a hectic night from Saturday to Sunday. "I think it will be busier than Saturday morning, when it was extreme," said an anonymous employee earlier, who showed videos of that morning crowds with long lines and full escalators.

On Saturday, lines of travelers at the airport extended into the open air. However, the airport reported that its strategy to reduce overcrowding, by only letting travelers in four hours before their flights, was a success.