Transavia cancels 5 percent of upcoming flights due to aircraft shortage

Dutch budget airline Transavia said it was forced to cancel five percent of scheduled flights during the busy months of April and May. The KLM subsidiary has a shortage of aircraft and is therefore unable to carry out all booked trips, a spokesperson confirmed after the story was reported by the Volkskrant.

Over 80 percent of passengers affected by the problems have been offered a replacement flight. But there were no alternatives available for 15 percent, and their trips were scrapped. The affected passengers received a message from Transavia about the matter earlier this month.

Transavia did not want to disclose exact numbers. About 8,000 passengers had their flights canceled, according to the Volkskrant. Passengers whose flights were canceled will be refunded the cost of their ticket. This also applies to those who were not able to accept an alternative that required a different travel date than what was booked.

The problems are mainly due to delays in a lease deal with Blue Air, a Romanian airline that recently went bankrupt. Transavia was set to lease five aircraft from that company, but due to problems with paperwork, the Dutch company is not yet able to use the Boeing aircraft.

It is a major setback for Transavia, which is the second largest airline in the Netherlands. Spring is usually the period when airlines, especially low-cost carriers, generate a great deal of turnover with the expectation of turning a profit.

Transavia said hopes to solve the problems in June and July, but a spokesperson could not guarantee this.