Switching off causes chaos at Amsterdam airport starts as a holiday
AMSTERDAM (Reuter) – Amsterdam Schiphol Airport has maintained grounds to be out for several hours on Saturday as a strike by workers at the start of a school caused chaos at Europe’s third busiest airport.
“The lounge is currently very full… Schiphol is inviting passengers not to come to the airport anymore,” the airport authorities said in a statement issued shortly before 12:00 (1000 GMT).
More than three hours later, the airport said passengers were welcome again, but were not yet faced with long and possible cancellation delays.
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Police briefly closed the highway exits to the airport on Saturday afternoon, as there were queues at the departure gates outside the terminal buildings.
A Schiphol said said to receive security and to get as many thousands of frustrated passengers as possible on their often delayed flights.
Baggage handling for KLM, the Dutch branch of Air France-KLM (AIRF.PA)Early on Saturday, he had started a previously unannounced strike to push for higher wages and better working conditions.
KLM ground staff handles half of all luggage arriving via Schiphol, Europe’s third busiest airport, to Paris Charles de Gaulle and London Heathrow.
The trade union FNV said the strike ended at 12 noon.
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(Reporting by Anthony Deutsch) Writing by Bart Meijer; Editing by David Holmes
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