KLM Flew 50+ Airplanes Back To Amsterdam Empty This Weekend
KLM this weekend made a strange and unexpected decision to stop allowing passengers at European destinations to board flights to Amsterdam.
So instead of flying its customers to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS), KLM flew more than 50 aircraft back to Amsterdam empty.
KLM said it had taken substantial measures before the weekend to avoid such a disaster, but it faced unforeseen and urgent circumstances that are beyond its control. The airline blamed unfavorable weather conditions and runway maintenance at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, saying that many aircraft couldn’t land or take off in Amsterdam. This resulted in a large number of KLM flights on Saturday being delayed or even cancelled.
KLM said that it took the “far-reaching decision that no further passengers would be brought to Amsterdam” to ensure safe and workable operations at Schiphol. It would also make it easier for passenger stranded at AMS to finally leave the airport.
“It’s incredibly unfortunate that on top of everything else today, we’re also dealing with reduced runway capacity at Schiphol as a result of unfavorable winds and runway maintenance,” said Rene de Groot, Chief Operating Officer. “Despite intervening earlier to ensure workable operations this weekend, today has been another extremely difficult day for our passengers and crew. We are apologizing to our customers for the inconvenience and doing our utmost to ensure that we can return to workable operations as swiftly as possible.”
The decision to stop bringing passengers from European destinations to or via Amsterdam remained in force for the whole of Saturday. The airline did not provide any alternate options for passengers who were expecting to board a plane to Amsterdam.
“KLM offers its sincere apologies to passengers who were unable to travel to Amsterdam from certain European destinations, as well as those who were unable to transfer via Amsterdam to other final destinations. We understand that this decision has great impact on passengers, particularly during the Whit Monday weekend,” the airline said in a statement. “KLM would like to stress that it is doing its utmost to offer passengers alternative flights as quickly as possible.”
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Do empty planes use less runway capacity than full ones?
Yes! Empty planes take less runway to stop after landing. Conversely empty planes take less runway to take off and can usually fly much farther than rated distances.