Schiphol strike: cancelled flights at Amsterdam airport and your rights
At Schiphol, flights have mostly been cancelled in recent years by KLM's own ground staff, in September 2025. Security staff and cleaners stopped work in 2026 without flights being cancelled. Who strikes decides what you are owed: when your airline's own staff strike, often compensation of €250 to €600.
Last updated: October 16, 2026
Airkarma handles claims under EU Regulation 261/2004: flights departing from the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland, and flights into those countries on a European airline. Flights departing from the United Kingdom fall under UK261, which we do not handle yet.
No win, no fee: if we recover your compensation, we keep 25% incl. VAT. If we don't, you pay nothing.
Upcoming strikes at Schiphol
As of 16 October 2026, no strike affecting flights is announced at Schiphol or KLM. The KLM ground staff collective agreement runs until February 2027, and the KLM cabin crew one until 28 February 2027. The agreement for Schiphol's own staff expired on 30 September 2026; talks are under way, with no action announced. We will update this page as soon as one is.
Recent strikes at Schiphol
- 25 and 26 August 2026: 15-minute stoppages by security staff, with minimum staffing agreed; security queues grew by about 20 minutes and no flights were cancelled. An agreement was reached on 16 September 2026.
- April 2026: a Lufthansa cabin crew strike; almost every Lufthansa flight to and from Schiphol, including all those to Frankfurt, was cancelled.
- 24 September 2025: a six-hour strike by KLM ground staff (FNV and CNV unions); 119 flights cancelled and 70 more departed later.
- 17 September 2025: a four-hour strike; about 100 flights cancelled.
- 10 September 2025: a two-hour strike; more than 100 flights cancelled and, according to KLM, about 27,000 passengers affected.
At the end of October 2025, KLM and the five unions reached a provisional agreement for ground staff.
When a court stops a strike at Schiphol
The Netherlands has no statutory minimum service during strikes. At Schiphol, KLM and the airport ask a judge in summary proceedings to ban or limit an action, and the judge weighs case by case whether restricting it is urgently necessary for society:
- 25 June 2025: the North Holland District Court banned the 24-hour strike planned for 28 June 2025, just after the NATO summit, because of the safety risks: passengers stuck in aircraft with no free stand;
- 4 July 2025: the Amsterdam District Court banned the strike planned for 9 July 2025 for the same reason;
- 29 September 2025: the North Holland court allowed the strike of 1 October only with minimum staffing to handle partner airlines such as Delta and Air France. The unions then suspended their action.
The economic damage to KLM did not count as a reason to ban a strike in those rulings.
Strike at Schiphol: when compensation is owed
If your airline's own staff strike, such as KLM ground staff in September 2025 for KLM flights, or Lufthansa cabin crew in April 2026, that is not an extraordinary circumstance (Court of Justice of the European Union, Airhelp v SAS, C-28/20, 2021): compensation of €250 to €600 is generally owed if you were told of the cancellation less than 14 days before departure, or arrived 3 hours or more late.
If a third party strikes, such as security staff, cleaners or air traffic control, the fixed compensation is generally not owed. The airline must still offer a refund or another flight, and meals, drinks and, if needed, a hotel while you wait. Missing your flight because of a security queue is not a case under the Regulation.
Where to complain
First complain to the airline. If that fails, you can report it to the Dutch Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT), for flights less than a year ago that departed the Netherlands. The ILT does not handle individual compensation requests: it uses reports to supervise airlines and can fine them. The Dutch aviation disputes committee has not handled cancellation and delay claims since 2012; to make the airline pay, you go to the district court (kantonrechter) or have a claims company handle it.
Frequently asked questions
KLM cancelled my flight because of the ground staff strike. Am I owed compensation?
As a rule yes, if you were told less than 14 days before departure: KLM's ground staff are the airline's own staff, and their strike is not an extraordinary circumstance. The amount depends on distance: €250, €400 or €600 per passenger.
I missed my flight because of the security queue. Can I claim anything?
Not under the EU Regulation: your flight left as planned. During the August 2026 stoppages, queues grew by about 20 minutes; on an announced action day, arrive well ahead of time.
My Lufthansa flight from Schiphol was cancelled by a strike. What am I owed?
A strike by Lufthansa's own cabin crew or pilots is not an extraordinary circumstance. If you were told less than 14 days before departure, you are generally owed compensation as well as a refund or another flight.
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Official sources
The texts this page is based on: