It has been an absolutely awful start to the new year for KLM. The Dutch flag carrier has cancelled more than half of its flights since January 2nd due to weather and more cancellations are coming.
KLM Cancellations Enter Sixth Day as Winter Weather Slams Amsterdam
Winter weather has been slamming Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport (AMS) since January 2nd and things are in full blown crisis mode. KLM announced today that it is preemptively cancelling 600 flights for tomorrow, January 7, bringing its total cancellations over the last six days to more than 2,300 since the winter weather began according to FlightRadar24.
KLM has cancelled these flights in an effort to avoid last-minute cancellations that could leave travelers stranded at the airport, which is already bursting at the seams with stranded travelers.
The airline has noted that winter weather conditions are expected to continue in the coming days and that there is currently no estimates on when its operations will return to normal. KLM is by far the largest carrier in Amsterdam, along with SkyTeam partners Delta and Air France.
If you’re traveling to, from, or through Amsterdam in the coming days, check with the operating carrier to determine whether your flights will be operating as expected or make alternate travel arrangements.
The Airport is Running Low on De-icing Fluid
As the largest airline in Amsterdam, KLM is responsible for de-icing the greatest number of aircraft. The airline has more than 100 employees on the de-icing team and, according to the carrier, they have used an average of 85,000 liters of fluid per day. This has put a strain on resources and the airline has stated that stock levels are running low.
De-icing fluid is a mixture of heated water and glycol and, because of the issues at the airport, the supplier can not guarantee on-time replenishment of the product. KLM is trying to ensure additional supplies, going so far as to collect the product itself from the supplier in Germany.
The delay in procuring enough de-icing fluid will likely hurt the situation further as the current weather requires that all aircraft be de-iced before taking off. With winter weather expected to continue and the inability to guarantee enough de-icing fluid to operate as normal, it could be quite some time before we see things return to normal.
Summary
KLM has cancelled flights for a sixth day as it works to recover operations affected by winter weather at the Netherlands’ largest airport. The airline has proactively cancelled 600 flights for tomorrow and has warned that it may not have enough de-icing fluid to continue full operations.
