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KLM has warned it is at risk of running out of de-icing fluid after Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport was hit by days of severe snowstorms that forced the Dutch airline to cancel hundreds of flights.
The airline, which is owned by French-Dutch group Air France-KLM, said on Tuesday that delays from its de-icer supplier combined with “extreme weather conditions” mean that its “stock levels are running low”.
It has been receiving daily deliveries, but now its supplier in Germany “is currently unable to guarantee timely replenishment”.
The airline has dispatched a team to Germany to collect the fluid itself, and “is doing everything possible to secure additional supply”.
The impending de-icer shortage adds to the problems for the airline, which has also warned passengers stranded at the airport they may have to wait for days for alternative flights — as it cancelled 600 more flights that had been due to fly on Wednesday.
“Normally, when a flight is cancelled, passengers are offered an alternative flight within a few hours,” KLM said. “However, because the weather conditions have not improved and we can only operate a limited number of flights, some passengers are being offered alternative flights scheduled later in the week.”
It warned of “persistent snowfall expected [Wednesday] morning, combined with strong winds from the south to south-east”.
The airline has cancelled more than 1,000 flights since Friday, and had many hundreds more delayed, leaving thousands of passengers unable to fly from or into the airport, which is the busiest in Europe and a major connection for long-haul travellers.
European air traffic control service Eurocontrol warned that it expects “no improvements” at the Dutch airport on Wednesday, and has asked airlines to cut 70 per cent of their expected flights.
“The weather causes a significant outbound bottleneck, so inbound capacity is reduced to balance demand,” it said on Tuesday evening. Its weather forecast is for continued snow over Scandinavia, the UK and the Netherlands on Wednesday.
Europe has been hit by the cold snap, with snowfall across the region. The UK has warned that Storm Goretti on Thursday will bring further snow and cause further travel disruption.
KLM, which is responsible for de-icing most aircraft at Schiphol, has a dedicated team of 100 staff who manage the task. They have been using around 85,000 litres a day of fluid on its planes, while its fleet of 25 de-icing trucks have been in “continuous use since Friday”, the company said on Tuesday.
De-icing the runways and other equipment at Schiphol is handled by Menzies Aviation, which said it had sufficient supplies at the airport and across its European and UK network. “We have de-icing fluid in stock, with our next delivery scheduled for tomorrow [Wednesday],” it added.
Schiphol airport said it “has sufficient winter‑operations materials to keep runways, taxiways and aircraft stands clear. Aircraft de‑icing, however, is the responsibility of the airlines, and their fluid stocks and processes are entirely separate from the materials used by the airport for clearing the runways.”
It added its “snow crews are working around the clock to keep the runways clear, and aircraft are being carefully de-iced to ensure everyone can travel safely”, but that “the wintry conditions are expected to cause disruptions to the flight schedule in the coming days. This may result in delays and cancellations.”
Other European airlines including Ryanair, easyJet and Lufthansa reported they did not have problems with de-icing supplies.