KLM to resume flights to Israel; Employees very concerned
KLM will resume flights to Israel from the end of this month. The Dutch airline’s employees are very concerned about this decision, NOS reports from internal messages in the broadcaster’s possession. Less than two weeks ago, on May 4, a ballistic rocket hit Ben-Guiron Airport in Tel Aviv, the Israeli airport that KLM flies to.
KLM suspended flights to Tel Aviv 11 months ago, saying it considered the situation unsafe. A KLM spokesperson could not tell NOS why the airline now considers it safe again, despite the recent bombing, saying that is a question for a security expert to answer. “Security is checked every day. It depends on numerous factors, for which we consult our own sources and those of the government,” the spokesperson said. “That is often confidential information.”
The KLM spokesperson repeatedly stressed that safety comes first at the Dutch airline. “Our partner Air France has been flying there for a while, but it took us a little longer to resume flights.”
Internal messages show that KLM employees are less convinced about how safe Israel is. Employees expressed concerns on KLM’s forums about the recent rocket attack, in which at least six people were injured. The trade unions for cabin crew, VNC, and airline pilots, VNV, also hear concerns from their members, they told NOS.
“As long as something rare does not happen - such as a rocket attack despite an air defense system - we assume that it will not happen in the future either,” a KLM employee wrote on the airline’s forums. “Until it suddenly does happen, and then it becomes clear how vulnerable those assumptions are.” The employee asked for restraint in deciding the country was “safe” and for the KLM Safety Council to review the decision.
“The last time colleagues went here before the war, they had to go into the bomb shelters under loud sirens and be quickly repatriated home,” another KLM employee wrote. “Even on a day when Israel was able to assess and guarantee safety itself.” The employee suggested that the decision-makers at KLM ask themselves if they would feel comfortable with their loved ones flying to Tel Aviv. “I think we know the answers to that.”
The KLM Safety Council replied that the employees’ concerns “have not gone unnoticed.” In another post, KLM says that the airline understands employees’ questions about Tel Aviv reappearing in their rosters. “We would not take this step if there were any doubts about the situation on the ground,” the airline wrote. To reinforce KLM’s confidence in how safe it is to fly to Israel and spend time there in the crew hotel, two high-ranking officials will be on the first flight, the airline said.
KLM also has financial interests in resuming flights. The airline recently said that stopping flights to Israel was one of the reasons for its lower-than-hoped results.
