KLM scraps May flights as union negotiations drag on

KLM will cut 22 flights from its schedule beginning in May after the airline was unable to come to an agreement with its labour unions on a new collective bargaining agreement. Regular flights to Bangkok, Nairobi and Shanghai will be scrapped, while trips to new destination Edmonton is postponed, newswire ANP reported. Passengers that purchased tickets on the airline will be rebooked onto other flights. “This is the last thing we want to do to our clients,” Chief Operating Officer René de Groot said, remarking that everyone will get to their destination.

Additionally, the airline has delayed their purchase of two Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. The two jets were part of an order of ten. De Groot made the announcement after the airline announced a sharp drop in freight operations, Dow Jones newswire wrote.