Schiphol director Dick Benschop will report to the House of Representatives next Tuesday to discuss, among other things, the crowds at the airport. A clerk of the House of Representatives invited Benschop to parliament this week, after which he immediately promised to come to The Hague. That says a spokesperson for Schiphol on Friday evening. The VVD and PvdA have insisted on a visit from the Schiphol director. The Social Democrats attribute many problems to poor working conditions for staff.
Also read: Action plan to make Schiphol ‘predictable and pleasant’ again is one of open doors
The airport has been very busy for weeks with passenger queues extending far beyond the departure hall. The impatience of those waiting turned into aggression last Sunday: because the travelers feared to miss their flight, they threatened to clash with each other and the security personnel. The Marechaussee spoke of a “threatening situation” and had to intervene to de-escalate things. Long and chaotic queues also appeared later in the week. Friday was “busy, but manageable,” said a spokesman.
Schiphol presented an action plan on Thursday. The airport wants to alleviate the current problems with more staff, who must come to work for more attractive conditions. Schiphol also announced that it would cancel flights in an ‘extreme case’, as has happened more often in recent weeks. There may also be new rules for take-off and landing rights that could reduce the number of flights. With more staff on the floor, the company hopes that the flow of passengers will improve.
After the corona crisis, in which tourist travel traffic decreased sharply, many holidaymakers want to travel by plane again. This increases the crowds at the airport, which at the same time is struggling with major staff shortages. It is difficult to find enough people, among others, among security guards and baggage personnel. Schiphol is now announcing that it will improve the terms of employment and conditions. It is not clear in the plan what that entails.
