KLM wants part-time pilots to fly more as shortage threatens to ground part of fleet

KLM wants part-time pilots to fly full-time again. Due to sick leave and part-time work, the Dutch airline is at real risk of having to ground part of its fleet in 2027 because there are not enough pilots to staff the cockpit, Eimerd Bult, head of KLM’s flight service, said in a letter, the Telegraaf reports.

KLM has more pilots than ever but is still facing a shortage, Bult said. “Sick leave and part-time work have increased in recent years. We lose around 50 full-time jobs a year due to all the part-time work. We are not fully utilizing the capacity of our long-distance flights while we earn the most from them.”

The airline is also suffering under detours around Russia, which means longer flights and more pilots needed per flight due to working hours. “The problem is huge. We have made agreements with the pilots union VNV, but the naked truth is that it is not enough,” Bult said. “We have to make difficult choices. If we do nothing, aircraft will be grounded in 2027 because there are not enough pilots. We don’t want that to happen.”

Part-time work is a legal right. Insiders told the Telegraaf that KLM can do little about pilots working part-time except make a friendly request to fly more. According to Bult, the increase in part-time work poses such a danger to the airline that it could put the new Airbus fleet of 10 billion euros in jeopardy if people do not work more.

KLM wants to make new agreements with VNV so that pilots can be called up for more long-distance flights. But according to the pilots’ union, KLM already demands a lot from its pilots. “With the recent agreements, the pilots will work even more. We agree with KLM that there must be enough pilots quickly because they are crucial for meeting the demand for flying. Getting well-trained pilots in the right place takes time,” VNV chairman Camiel Verhagen told the newspaper.