Amsterdam Schiphol airport extends capacity caps into the autumn

Amsterdam Schiphol airport extended capacity curbs into the autumn as the Dutch hub continues to grapple with a staffing crunch.

Royal Schiphol Group NV will cap the number of departing passengers at 67,500 per day for September and 69,500 in October, it said in a statement Tuesday.

The numbers are lower than the 72,500 limit set for August, reflecting slower transit times through security as people hand over coats worn in the cooler weather for inspection, according to the airport, which is home to the Dutch division of Air France-KLM.

Available capacity should still match demand on most days next month, the hub said, though the new measures will help prevent an excess of 3,500 departing passengers during a two-week school holiday in October. KLM said it doesn’t expect flight cancellations to be necessary,  though “fewer seats than usual will be available in the Dutch market.”

Like airports across western Europe, Schiphol has been plagued by staffing and labor disruption for many weeks, prompting it to formally limit capacity for July and August on June 16. The hub last month reached a deal with unions to raise wages and add more permanent workers, with about 200 new security personnel starting in the next few weeks and 80 more in October.

Netherlands Infrastructure Minister Mark Harbers has said that while the country’s labor flexibility has made the economy resilient, it also contributed to Schiphol’s shortages, recommending in an interview with Bloomberg that the hub reduce outsourcing.

London Heathrow airport, which has also capped passenger numbers, last week called on airlines and ground handlers to hire staff more aggressively, warning that capacity curbs may need to stay in place across Europe for at least another year.