Chaotic flight conditions are being reported from several parts of Europe. On Saturday, the airline KLM imposed a total ban on passengers from the rest of Europe to Amsterdam, due to too many people at the giant airport.

The planes that for planning reasons still had to go to Schiphol, one of the world's largest airports, had to fly empty in several cases. On Sunday morning, a spokesperson for KLM said that they do not expect to have to continue with empty planes - but that they are still canceling around 50 flights a day, reports the Dutch news site NOS.

The reason for this was said to be large crowds at the airport. This in turn is due to ”adverse weather conditions and runway maintenance,” according to the press release, which resulted in many planes being unable to land or depart in Amsterdam.

Major problems are also being reported in the UK. On Saturday, 25 departures and 22 arrivals were cancelled from Gatwick Airport outside London, affecting at least 7,000 travellers., writes The Guardian.

Upset travelers also report hours of waiting for luggage, among other things. On Twitter, one person wrote a message to Gatwick Airport: "Can you explain why we landed 75 minutes ago and are still waiting for our luggage. And why is there no one in the baggage hall to explain why?"”

Already this week, warnings were issued of upcoming travel problems in the country, which is now having a long weekend over the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

”Britain’s airports are in crisis as thousands of jobs have been lost,” Sharon Graham, president of the country’s largest union Unite, said in a statement on Wednesday.

Dominic Raab, the country's justice minister and deputy prime minister, instead said that airports have not hired enough people.

– In total over the pandemic, the government has given them £8 billion in support, he said in an interview with Sky News.

Companies in the airline industry were threatened with bankruptcy when people were not allowed to travel during the pandemic, and many governments defied environmental alarms and climate concerns by providing major support to the industry.

This weekend is winding down long queues at other major airports in Europe as well. Some passengers flying from Paris Charles De Gaulle airport have been advised to be there three and a half hours before departure, writes The Local.

Copenhagen Airport Kastrup announces that they have longer waiting times than usual, and urges passengers traveling from there to be out in good time.

Meanwhile, the notorious queues at the security checkpoint at Arlanda continue. On Saturday there were so many people that travelers were forced to wait outside the terminal, reports Dagens Nyheter.

According to Swedavia's press manager Ellen Laurin, it was due to a technical problem with the baggage system at Terminal 5, which was resolved after a few hours.

Source: TT-DI.SE