Emirates and Etihad say Amsterdam flights unchanged by Schiphol's extended passenger caps

Airline 'closely co-operated' with the Dutch hub to meet additional demand for travel

Passengers queue to check-in for flights at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam. AFP

Emirates and Etihad Airways said their flight schedules for Amsterdam remain unchanged after Schiphol Airport extended passenger caps into the autumn as it grapples with staffing shortages.

The Dubai-based airline has worked closely with the Dutch hub to manage the higher demand for travel, it said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Emirates has closely co-operated with Schiphol Airport to meet the additional demand for travel and provide passengers with a smooth and reliable journey this summer," an airline spokeswoman said.

"Emirates’ flights to and from Amsterdam continue to operate as per schedule and ticketed passengers may travel as booked.”

The airline currently flies to Amsterdam twice a day, using an Airbus A380 and a Boeing 777.

Etihad Airways said it aware of Schiphol airport's extension of passenger caps in the coming months.

"We are working through the details with the relevant authorities, but at this stage do not expect any significant impact on our operation," an airline spokesman said.

"At this point in time, we are still planning to operate our daily Boeing 787-10 service between Abu Dhabi and Amsterdam."

The move comes after Schiphol said on Tuesday that it would extend restrictions placed over the summer on the number of passengers a day into September and October after consultation with airlines, according to its website.

There will be a maximum limit of 67,500 passengers departing each day in September and 69,500 per day in October, it said. The figures are lower than the 72,500 limit set for August.

"This is due to the so-called seasonal effect," the airport said. "Travellers use more bins at security control after the summer because they wear more clothes, such as coats, hiking boots and vests. As a result, it takes a little longer to check all the hand baggage and the passengers."

The airport said about 200 new security guards will be recruited starting in August, and expects another 80 to start in October.

Other airports across western Europe have faced similar staffing shortages and disruption this summer.

London's Heathrow Airport, which also capped passenger numbers, has warned that capacity restrictions may need to stay in place across Europe for at least another year.

The airport in July introduced a 100,000-person-a-day cap on travellers and told airlines to adjust their schedules. The problems on Tuesday led British Airways to suspend sales of short-haul flights from Heathrow.

Heathrow said it had hired more than 1,300 new staff since November and that it was airlines which had failed to fill enough positions to cope with recovering demand.

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