Airlines have been forced to cancel hundreds of flights from Amsterdam Schiphol this summer after Europe's embattled third-largest airport announced it was capping capacity in July and August amid continued bottlenecks and delays resulting from staff shortages.

As reported, Schiphol's solution to the crisis has been to cut 13,500 seats daily between July 6 and August 28, 2022, potentially leaving airlines out of pocket at a time when they are gearing up for peak summer demand following the COVID-19 pandemic. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL, Amsterdam Schiphol) has already warned it will hold the airport responsible for any financial impact and has strongly criticised that airlines are left to bear the burden of capacity problems at the airport.

The requirement to cancel flights and reduce seat capacity at Schiphol in July and August is being enforced on all airlines operating from there by the Dutch slot coordinator.

Consequently, hundreds of flights at Schiphol have been cancelled or diverting to other airports close by, including Rotterdam, Eindhoven, and Brussels Charleroi in Belgium, according to ch-aviation research.

KLM has cancelled ten to 20 flights to European destinations daily until August, 28, and has restricted the sale of remaining seats on KLM and KLM Cityhopper flights within Europe to free up space for passengers who have to be rebooked if their flight is cancelled. Cargo will no longer be booked and loaded onto KLM cityhopper flights to reduce work pressure for ground handling staff. The airline has also closed the belly compartment for loose packages and mail bags aboard flights bound for intercontinental destinations. Loose bulk freight would be placed in containers brought in via the apron, making it easier to load. Measures relating to airfreight would remain in place until the end of the summer schedule (October 29), KLM said in a statement.

Air Malta (Malta International), in a statement, announced it had transferred six flights to Rotterdam between July 11 and July 27, 2022. The flights affected are KM386/387, operating on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Corendon Airlines (XC, Antalya), on its website, informed passengers that their flights may have changed to alternative airports between July 7 and August 28. The airline reportedly has moved 150 flights and has cancelled 35 services from Schiphol, affecting 25% of its flight schedule from the airport.

Transavia Airlines (HV, Amsterdam Schiphol) has been forced to cancel 240 flights between July 7 and August 14, the airline announced in a statement. It has stopped ticket sales from Schiphol and has switched its fleet to Rotterdam and Eindhoven. It said about 70% of affected passengers could be offered alternative flights, while the rest would receive immediate refunds or vouchers for trip postponements between August 28, 2022, to March 2023.

It would make further announcements once the slot coordinator had announced how much capacity should be capped for the period from August 1-28. The airline said its flights from Eindhoven, Rotterdam, and Brussels were filling up quickly.

Chief Executive Officer Marcel de Nooijer slammed the mandated capacity cap as "a huge blow to our passengers and our company". "The forced reduction of the number of passengers is highly undesirable and must be a one-off and short-lived."

The carrier also criticised the Dutch government's recent announcement that it intends to cut capacity at Schiphol by 20% to 440,000 flights per year (compared to 540,000 flights per year before the crisis) to fight noise pollution. "The government's rigorous intention to shrink Schiphol is dramatic for Transavia and Dutch holidaymakers," the airline said.

Meanwhile, TUI fly (Netherlands) (OR, Amsterdam Schiphol) said it would no longer have to move flights from Schiphol to Liège, Belgium, in August, after Schiphol reported that fewer seats than expected would have to be cancelled, reports Luchtvaartnieuws. As of July 7, TUI fly Netherlands has based two aircraft in Liège, which will now return to Schiphol in August. The airline said flights that have moved from Schiphol to Rotterdam would not change back during the affected period.