No queues at Schiphol so far, but flights canceled due to airport staff strikes in Italy and Belgium

Although this weekend is one of the busiest times of the year for Schiphol, there are no queues at the security checkpoint for now. There are also no problems with baggage handling, said a spokesperson for the airport.

"Everything is running smoothly. We didn't see any long queues yesterday or today. People can just travel comfortably," the spokesperson stated.

Last year, travelers had to join the security line outside. Queues at passport control and baggage carousels were extremely long due to staff shortages. As a result, flights were delayed or canceled.

"At security control, we have now hired more than 800 new colleagues. Now you can see that it's really paying off. People are through security within five to ten minutes," the spokesperson claimed.

However, FNV Aviation warned in the AD on Saturday that the problems at Schiphol have not been structurally solved and that things could still go wrong this summer. According to the union, the problem is mainly in baggage handling. But Schiphol does not expect any further problems here either.

"We are working hard with our partners to keep waiting times as short as possible. Of course, summer is busier, so sometimes you have to wait a little longer for your suitcase. But basically, our handling agents also have enough staff to make it work smoothly."

However, this trouble-free situation could be disrupted this weekend by the announced airport personnel strikes in Europe. The strikes by the airport and aviation personnel grounded hundreds of aircraft in Italy and Belgium on Saturday. Thousands of travelers have been stranded as a result. KLM also had to cancel flights as a result of the strikes.

At the height of Italy's busy summer season, some 1,000 flights, both domestic and international, have been canceled. According to the Italian aviation authorities, this is the result of a strike by ground staff.

Airlines flying from Schiphol are also affected by strikes, said an airport spokesperson. However, KLM pointed out that the strike at Italian airports was announced well in advance. "KLM has canceled 34 flights to and from various Italian destinations - which were supposed to depart and arrive today - in recent days (17 return flights)", a spokesperson said. According to the spokesperson, all passengers have been rebooked on the next available flights.