Schiphol demands strict passenger limits through March 2023; Thousands of seats cut

Schiphol Airport told airlines operating at the facility to extend a tight limit on the number of departing for at least the next six months. Earlier this month, the departing passenger limit was set at 57,000 per day starting in October. Instead, this will be further reduced to an average of 50,000 people during holiday periods, and 46,000 per day during other weeks.

A spokesperson for the airport told ANP that the airport handled about 53,000 departing passengers per day during the similar period in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic affected air travel in the Netherlands. That equates to a reduction of about six percent. In July 2019 the airport was able to handle about 114,000 departing passengers per day, according to an earlier report from the Volkskrant. The new limit during the upcoming October and winter holiday periods is 56 percent lower by comparison.

The airport has been struggling with staff shortages at its security checkpoints since April, when passengers began returning to the skies en masse. The country’s largest airport, which is also among the largest in Europe, said it was working hard to fill security vacancies.

KLM is the largest airline working out of Schiphol Airport, and as such, it has had to reduce passenger figures far more than any other airline to cope airport operational issues throughout the year. The new tightening of capacity could cause a 22 percent reduction in KLM’s passenger figures, the airline said in a statement. It accused the airport of causing financial damages and harming its reputation, and estimated the negative impact at 100 million euros.

The Dutch airline said that the situation seems "hopeless," and noted that airlines have been forced to help the airport solve its problems "time and again," denting consumer confidence after the coronavirus pandemic. "KLM previously said that limiting the number of passengers cannot be a long-term measure, but now it seems to be that way. With the new restrictions for the winter, Schiphol does not offer us any clarity," said KLM CEO Marjan Rintel.

To limit the number of cancellations, KLM said it will immediately cut back on ticket sales for flights departing from Amsterdam over the affected period.

“In the coming months, Schiphol will maintain the maximum number of travelers that can depart from the airport, after consultation with the airlines,” Schiphol Airport said, adding that it expects the limit to continue through March. “There will be a moment towards the end of the year when it will be examined whether more is possible from the end of January.”

“Maintaining a maximum number of travelers is necessary. We want to guarantee the safety of employees and travelers and offer a more reliable airport process,” said the Schiphol Group’s COO, Hanne Buis. “This naturally has consequences for travelers and airlines, which we find irritating,” she added.

“Together with the security companies and trade unions, we are working hard on structural improvements. That is a big task in a very tight labor market. We have to be realistic about it.”

Arjan Kers, the CEO of tour operator TUI, and chair of Dutch travel agency association ANVR, suggested there was something more nefarious at play. He suggested the situation was part of a government scheme to reduce capacity at the airport more permanently. The Dutch State owns nearly 70 percent of the airport.

“I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but I can’t explain it any other way. Everything indicates that the shrinkage agenda is leading because the problems can simply be solved,” Kers said. “You can’t run a business like this,” he told De Telegraaf.