Amsterdam airport to cap passenger numbers once again amid staff shortage

Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport will again limit passenger numbers during the busy May holiday period as the Dutch hub continues to wrestle with staff shortages.

Reneging on an earlier move to remove any outstanding restrictions, the Dutch airport informed airlines Monday evening that it will introduce an extra 5% “safety margin” in the first week of April, resulting in 5,000 fewer travelers per day, according to the director of corporate affairs Kees Boef.

Since last year, the home base for Air France-KLM’s Dutch arm has been plagued with significant labor disruption resulting in long queues and waiting times for passengers during peak travel periods. Former CEO Dick Benschop acknowledged the growing criticism for the way in which Schiphol handled capacity issues last summer when stepping down from the role in September.