IATA has harshly criticized Amsterdam Airport for calling on airlines to cancel flights

IATA, the umbrella organization of airlines, calls that "outrageous." Amsterdam Schiphol Airport has asked airlines to cancel flights this weekend due to congestion.

IATA says it understands the situation Schiphol is going through and that it suffers from a lack of staff, but indicates that air carriers do not pay airport taxes in vain. "We do not support Schiphol's request to cancel reservations for passengers wishing to travelIATA said in a letter to the airport. "Passengers book flights weeks or months in advance. Some of them will have to cancel their holiday plans. It's not just a ticket. It's about the whole journey."

The organization points out that flight cancellations following a request from Schiphol Airport cannot be described as "force majeure". This could have major financial consequences for airlines that comply with this request. Therefore, various carriers have indicated that they will not cancel flights. Corendon and TUI have tried to move some flights to other airports, and easyJet has indicated that it will not cancel flights. Instead, KLM agreed to the request and canceled 80 flights this weekend.