Passengers stuck at Schiphol Airport border for over an hour after I.T. system fails

A computer outage at the border control posts at Schiphol Airport on Thursday afternoon caused long lines and headaches for many passengers flying in and out of the airport. The outage lasted between 75 and 90 minutes, with first reports of the issue first surfacing at about 3:30 p.m.

Passengers began moving again before 5 p.m., when the Marechaussee acknowledged that the issue was resolved. The military branch is responsible for border checks in the Netherlands, including at Schiphol.

A spokesperson for the Marechaussee confirmed the issue with their information systems at the border control when contacted by NL Times. While specific details about the cause of the system failure were not provided, the spokesperson assured they were "working to fix this as quickly as possible."

Schiphol Airport also confirmed the issue to NL Times, with a spokesperson noting that travellers might experience extended waiting times due to the problem. "The malfunction has now been resolved and all systems are working again. However, the disruption has caused longer lines at border control," the airport later stated.

Several passengers contacted NL Times directly to complain that the airport did not provide information earlier during the incident. It was not immediately known how many passengers missed a flight because of the computer problem.

#amsterdamschiphol que to get out of the airport, where is the technology?? pic.twitter.com/B7m30yT8gz

— Nae Brown 🦉 (@NaeBrwnOfficial) September 21, 2023

A total of 61 flights set to arrive at Schiphol after 3:30 p.m. on Thursday faced delays of varying duration, and two other arriving flights were cancelled, according to a review of data on the airport’s website just before 5 p.m. The airport also showed 54 departing flights which were delayed, and three which airlines cancelled. Those cancellations do not include the handful of flights to Asia that KLM cancelled in advance because their flight path would take them over a conflict near the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

During periods of peak crowding at Schiphol Airport last year, airlines often delayed flights when a high volume of passengers was unable to get to the gate on time. The reason for the delays on Thursday was not immediately clear, as rainy weather persisted in the area.

Momenteel is er op Schiphol een storing in onze systemen wat mogelijk langere wachtrijen kan veroorzaken. We werken hard aan een snelle oplossing.

— Koninklijke Marechaussee (@Marechaussee) September 21, 2023

Schiphol airport let us go! People want to leave but we are held by the staff

— Nae Brown 🦉 (@NaeBrwnOfficial) September 21, 2023

So true! Why can’t @Schiphol communicate? I haven’t heard a single update, which is ridiculous. How many people are stuck? It’s going to take ages to get all the people through! #shitpol

— Jennifer Morrison (@Jen_A_Mo) September 21, 2023

There’s something wrong in Dutch border software at Schipol Airport I guess. They aren’t letting anyone (including EU citizens) out. There are already huge lines.

— Emrah Samdan (@emrahsamdan) September 21, 2023