KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will be temporarily suspending long-haul flights owing to the various restrictions put on travel owing to the coronavirus pandemic, the airliner announced on Wednesday.
KLM Dutch Airlines have temporarily ceased intercontinental flights. Credit: Alec Wilson / Flickr Licence: CC BY-SA
The airliner has stated it is now impossible to perform intercontinental flights efficiently when the government require staff to perform rapid testing.
Read more: Ryanair to cut passenger targets amid lockdown travel curbs
Stopping flights means many of its staff may be stuck abroad for the time being, however, KLM has stated it will try its best to ensure its expatriated workers are returned home.
The airliner will also cease flights to other European destinations.
Europe is currently facing a spike in cases, which has resulted in further restrictions across much of the continent.
Germany has extended lockdown restrictions on Tuesday and on Wednesday, KLM's home of the Netherlands implemented a nationwide curfew of 8:30 pm in order to combat new strains of the disease.
In all, 270 flights have been cancelled.
The company suspended all its intercontinental flights on January 20 and is set to stop other flights connecting the Dutch capital to various European cities on January 22.
Among the flights cancelled are those where any airliner stuff must spend the night in a hotel.
The Netherlands recently mandated all intercontinental flight passengers must carry proof of a negative coronavirus diagnosis.
A KLM spokesperson said: “We cannot run the risk of our staff being stranded somewhere. This is why we are stopping all intercontinental flights from Friday & all flights to European destinations where crew members have to spend the night."
“For this, too, the crew is obliged to undergo testing. We actually flew to orange and red countries for essential travel and cargo. But this is no longer possible. Then the crew would have to be excluded.”
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced in Wednesday that the nation would cancel all flights to the UK, South Africa and South America for a month, starting on Saturday.
Read more: Proposed increases on airport landing charges sparks backlash from European airlines
The impact on traffic is likely to be insignificant given the low number of people travelling under current circumstances.
Several South American countries have been relying on the airliner for their vaccines.
The airliner has confirmed it will have to halt the deliveries made to nations such as Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Brazil and Argentina.
KLM have yet to indicate how long these disruptions could last.
Back to Homepage
Back to Aerospace & Defence