Winter chaos at Schiphol to be scrutinized in new independent study

Schiphol and KLM are conducting an independent inquiry into the multi-day disruptions caused by winter storms earlier this month, Minister of Infrastructure Robert Tieman told the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament. The snowfall led to numerous flight cancellations and forced hundreds of passengers to stay overnight at the airport.

“The evaluation is aimed at gaining factual insight into the functioning of relevant operational and communication processes, also to inform the design of future winter plans,” both companies write in a letter to the minister. The assessment will also consider the costs and benefits of any additional measures.

Tieman emphasized that “lessons must be drawn” from the disruptions, noting earlier that some areas “could be improved.” The severe weather resulted in the cancellation of hundreds of flights, impacting approximately 300,000 travelers.

Consulting firm Oliver Wyman is conducting the review, which is scheduled for completion by the end of March. The evaluation will focus on the availability and deployment of runways and platforms during the storm and will include a critical review of the de-icing of aircraft, which was a major bottleneck.

In the letter, Tieman explicitly calls on airlines to "speed up" the reimbursement of expenses to stranded passengers in accordance with existing regulations. The minister also reminds Schiphol of its legal obligation to provide facilities necessary for the proper handling of flights and passengers under the Aviation Act.

Similar evaluations are to be held for the rail network. However, the Minister noted that the Dutch rail system only faces such extreme disruptions roughly once every five years.

Rijkswaterstaat used 135 million kilograms of salt (out of a 250 million kg stock) to keep roads clear during the stormy week. There was a total of 700 kilometers of traffic jams during the week caused by the weather issues.