KLM ground staff strike forces cancellation of 100 flights, thousands rebooked

KLM will cancel roughly 100 flights on Wednesday as ground personnel stage a strike, the airline confirmed Tuesday. Thousands of passengers have been rebooked onto the next available flight, a spokeswoman added. Schiphol’s website already showed that dozens of KLM flights would not operate. The strike, announced by unions FNV and CNV, will run from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Ground staff perform tasks including loading and unloading luggage, moving aircraft, and assisting passengers. The unions are protesting a collective labor agreement KLM signed with three other unions, arguing that 14,000 ground employees will face a loss in purchasing power. KLM has denied this claim.

A similar strike last Wednesday lasted two hours and forced the cancellation of over 100 flights, affecting about 27,000 passengers. “The strike tomorrow will, like last week, have a major impact on our operations,” the airline spokeswoman said Tuesday.

This summer, unions had announced two 24-hour strikes, but both were blocked by the courts over concerns about safety at Schiphol Airport.