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In order to avoid another mega traffic jam at Amsterdam Airport, dozens of trips were canceled
Photo: Ramon van Flymen/EPA
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol only managed to prevent a collapse like last weekend by canceling dozens of flights on Saturday due to a lack of ground staff.
Despite the precautionary cancellations, passengers had to expect crowds and long waiting times today.
Long queues formed in front of the terminal building.
The fire brigade distributed water to those waiting.
In order to be able to handle air traffic in the middle of the Dutch holidays, all airlines were called upon to cancel flights.
KLM had canceled 47 flights for Saturday and Sunday.
Other airlines shifted some of their flights to Rotterdam.
As the airport announced, the number of passengers at Schiphol fell by around 3,500 on Saturday.
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Last Saturday – the beginning of the holiday season in the Netherlands – the situation got out of hand after a spontaneous strike: Due to bottlenecks and overwork, 150 employees of Airline KLM stopped work without prior notice.
Dozens of flights had to be canceled at short notice, thousands of travelers were backed up.
Motorway exits were closed and travelers were asked not to go to the airport.
According to the company, the congestion at Amsterdam Airport, which is also a major international hub, is caused by a general lack of ground staff.
There are no more workers to be found on the job market.
sem/dpa