- DeChambeau says PGA's Ryder Cup decision 'just the start'
- Alcaraz defeated on Laver Cup debut
- Postecoglou embraces 'struggle' to make Spurs a success
- Nice hand 'ashamed' Saint-Etienne 8-0 Ligue 1 mauling
- Boeing CEO says ending strike 'a top priority'
- Stock markets mostly fall after Fed-fueled rally
- Harris slams Trump for hypocrisy on abortion as US starts voting
- Academy to host first overseas ceremony to honor young filmmakers
- No doctor necessary: US okays nasal spray flu vaccine for self-use
- Gurbaz, birthday boy Rashid lead Afghanistan to 177-run rout of South Africa
- Former delivery man Baldwin leads star names at PGA Championship
- Trump shooting: Secret Service admits complacency
- Can an ambitious Milei make Argentina an AI giant?
- Haiti, its suffering growing, in 'race against time': UN expert
- Ibrahim Aqil, the Hezbollah elite unit commander wanted by the US
- Chinese forward Cui signs NBA contract with Brooklyn Nets
- US Fed dissenter calls for 'measured' pace of rate cuts
- Guardiola tells players to lead change over workload as Kompany demands cap on games
- Norway limits wild salmon fishing as stocks hit new lows
- Top Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli strike on Beirut
- Rotterdam fatal knife attacker suspected of 'terrorist motive'
- First early votes cast in knife-edge US presidential election
- Top-ranked Swiatek out of Beijing due to 'personal matters'
- Hard-right Reform UK looks to the future after vote success
- Embiid agrees to NBA contract extension with 76ers
- Joshua aims to complete road to redemption in Dubois bout
- World champion Bagnaia sets pace with lap record at Misano
- Biden says 'working' to get people back to homes on Israel-Lebanon border
- Pope criticises Argentina's crackdown on protesters
- Court limits screenings of videos in France mass rape case
- Gurbaz century takes Afghanistan to 311-4 in 2nd ODI
- Central banks face 'difficult balancing act': IMF chief
- McLaren's Norris sets Singapore pace as struggling Verstappen 15th
- Guardiola tells players to lead change over workload fears
- Paris Olympics sports equipment moves to new homes
- 'Happy' Kinghorn relishing life at Toulouse
- Norris sets Singapore pace as Verstappen only 15th
- 8 dead in Israeli strike, source says Hezbollah commander killed
- Germany to bid to host women's Euro 2029
- Portugal brings deadly forest fires under control
- Postecoglou defends Solanke after slow start to Spurs career
- US nuclear plant Three Mile Island to reopen to power Microsoft
- Arteta urges Arsenal to take next step in Man City showdown
- Stock markets fall after Fed-fuelled rally
- Top Hezbollah commander 'killed' in Israel strike
- Poland charges Russian over attack on Navalny ally: prosecutors
- Man City have rest 'advantage' in Arsenal showdown: Guardiola
- Maresca has 'no doubt' in Jackson as Chelsea's number nine
- EU chief announces 35 bn euro loan plan for Ukraine before winter
- From TikTok to Hollywood, the irresistible rise of Italy's Khaby Lame
KLM cancels flights as crowds jam Amsterdam's Schiphol
Dutch national carrier KLM cancelled dozens of weekend flights Friday at Schiphol airport, hit hard by a strike and staff shortages as it struggles to cope with pre-coronavirus passenger numbers.
The airline axed 47 single and return flights on Saturday and Sunday, after cutting 28 return flights on Friday following an urgent plea by the airport, seen as a major gateway to Europe.
"The cancellations should contribute to Schiphol's request to keep operations at the airport manageable because of staff shortages," KLM said in a statement.
"These cancellations in KLM's flight schedule also contribute to reducing the workload" for its own staff, the airline said.
Schiphol -- Europe's busiest airport in terms of aircraft movements in 2019 when more than 70 million passengers passed through its gates -- saw numbers plunge during the coronavirus pandemic.
But after the Dutch government dropped its last major Covid-19 restrictions in mid-March, passenger numbers once again took off, peaking around the Easter weekend which was still continuing.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) condemned Schiphol's request to airlines as "outrageous".
"Passengers book flights weeks or months in advance," IATA told the Dutch news agency ANP. "Some of them will have to cancel their holiday plans."
Dozens of flights were delayed last Saturday after some KLM ground staff walked out in a wildcat strike to protest staff shortages and long working hours.
The strike came on the first day of the May school holidays, with many families going on holiday for the first time since coronavirus restrictions were dropped.
Airlines "have complied with Schiphol's request to allow fewer passengers to travel this weekend because of the crowds", the airport said in a statement.
"The crowds are caused by the May holidays and the personnel shortages in the aviation sector," it said.
The airport said it would have talks with airlines on Sunday to discuss the problem.
Meanwhile, at least one travel company has moved operations to the nearby and less busy Rotterdam The Hague Airport.
L.Dubois--BTB