“Aviachaos”, which spoiled the rest of many European tourists last summer, threatens to continue in Europe for at least a few more years. At least as summer approaches, the problems are getting worse: Europe’s busiest airport is already canceling thousands of flights. We are talking about Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, which limits the number of international flights departing from the airport, and already touching the next year 2024.
According to a statement from the Dutch government, the airport is reducing the annual number of flights from 500,000 to 460,000. However, the current summer season is promised to be “pardoned”: the reductions will take effect from November and will affect the schedule of winter 2023, as well as the schedule of summer 2024. The official reason is the introduction of several measures to reduce carbon emissions, as well as reduce noise levels. Unofficial – continuation of the crisis in the aviation industry.
The airlines have already criticized the move in a joint statement issued by KLM Group, easyJet, TUI, Delta, and Corendon. They reminded me that Amsterdam Airport is one of the busiest in Europe, second only to London Heathrow Airport and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
However, the Dutch government is not the only one to reduce flights. Yes, Lufthansa says it has had to “adjust its summer flight schedule” and canceled over 34,000 flights this summer. The carrier’s management openly recognized the lack of personnel as the main problem currently affecting the aviation industry. Wizz Air also canceled some flights.
It will be recalled that last year Europe’s airports were overwhelmed by chaos: massive cancellations of flights, huge long-hour queues at airports for departures, in which tourists who want to fly away on vacation get stuck. The crisis at airports was triggered by the fact that airlines and airports laid off thousands of workers over the past 2 years when demand fell during the quarantine, and then tried their best to recruit and train replacements, European media experts say.
The chaos was exacerbated by airlines — the same Lufthansa, according to German media, canceled 900 flights in Germany and Europe at its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich due to a lack of staff. “The cancellation of flights in July affects 5% of flights on weekdays on Friday, Saturday and Sunday,” the message says. Eurowings is also canceling several hundred flights in July alone, Swiss will reduce flights mainly from Zurich to Germany, but the cancellations will also affect international flights.