KLM Royal Dutch Airlines couldn’t handle it anymore and stopped European flights altogether.
This was on Sunday. The stop was ordered to make sure KLM was ready and able to handle air traffic on Sunday.
KLM was able to handle its air traffic on Sunday, according to a press release:
KLM was able to operate flights on Sunday according to the original schedule for this Whitsun holiday weekend. Furthermore, by the end of the afternoon, more than 90% of the passengers who had been unable to fly to Amsterdam on Saturday evening had arrived at their destination, or been rebooked.
The number of passengers being rebooked is currently rising, which means that nearly all passengers have now been offered an alternative.
KLM expects its flights to operate on schedule on Whit Monday, 6 June, as they did on Sunday.
KLM would like to stress that the decision to suspend passenger flights to or via Amsterdam on Saturday evening was extremely difficult and one that was not taken lightly. Unforeseen and acute circumstances beyond our control compelled us to intervene in this way. Unfavorable weather conditions combined with runway maintenance at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol led air traffic control to reduce capacity further on Saturday evening. Many aircraft were consequently unable to land in or depart from Amsterdam. This led to a build-up of passengers at Schiphol, causing large queues to form. In the interests of guaranteeing safety at Schiphol and maintaining a manageable situation at the airport, it was not possible for KLM to bring passengers to Schiphol in a responsible manner.
Passengers, however, need to take into account some delays or disruptions as an expected storm and the crowds at the airport may result in additional delays and disruptions.
“KLM’s first priority is to fly passengers safely to their destination as fast as possible,” the airline said. Meanwhile, passengers that supposed to leave on Saturday have departed and the airline is working hard to re-book other stranded passengers to their final destination.
For at least five weeks, Amsterdam Schiphol has been suffering from delays and disruptions caused by staffing issues and other organizational circumstances.
