Despite many problems, KLM again made a profit in the second quarter. Parent company Air France-KLM also managed to make a profit for the first time since the corona crisis. But the problems at the airline are not over yet, KLM CEO Marjan Rintel expects.
After a dramatic corona period for aviation, 2022 promised to be the year of recovery for airlines such as KLM. However, a significant growth in the number of passengers, combined with a shortage of personnel at both the airlines and the airports, has been causing problems for months.
As a result, KLM had to cancel flights in April. Since then, the problems have only increased. For example, the airport is struggling with long queues, more canceled flights and problems with baggage processing. As a result of the latter, passenger suitcases are still left behind at Schiphol Airport.
Despite these problems, KLM and Air France-KLM managed to make a profit in the second quarter. For the parent company, these are the first black numbers since the start of the corona crisis.
Although the new KLM CEO Rintel speaks of good figures, she warns that the problems in aviation are far from over. “We are confronted with queues for security checks at Schiphol, a shortage on the labor market and a high workload.”
To solve these problems, KLM is busy recruiting staff. But those people were not found overnight. “We are working on creating calm and stability. Is it good enough? No, it is not yet, but it is getting better every week.”
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