KLM will proactively cancel selected flights from 26 October through early March after maintenance delays, damage repairs and longer-than-planned work left more aircraft unavailable than expected. The Dutch airline will retain additional intercontinental aircraft as operational reserves, trading some scheduled capacity for greater winter reliability and fewer short-notice cancellations.
KLM has not disclosed the number of cancellations, routes or destinations involved. It intends to target services with the least passenger impact and rebook affected travellers where possible. Some flights are already operating with aircraft different from those originally scheduled.
The availability pressure reflects a combination of unplanned maintenance, damage repairs, overrunning maintenance visits and delays in receiving spare parts. At least five intercontinental routes were cancelled at short notice during the preceding weekend because of technical problems, causing passenger disruption and crew-scheduling difficulties.
KLM’s maintenance division has been under heightened oversight by the Dutch Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate since May over compliance with newer requirements for processing and recording minor maintenance. The regulator found no safety issue, and KLM has not identified the oversight as the cause of the cancellations.
The airline’s first Airbus A350 has arrived at Schiphol but is not expected to enter service immediately, limiting its ability to address the aircraft shortage during the winter schedule.