Amsterdam Airport and KLM hire Oliver Wyman for review of weather disruption
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and KLM have jointly appointed management consultancy firm Oliver Wyman to conduct an independent review of the operational disruptions caused by severe winter weather at the airport in early January.
The objective of the review is to draw lessons from how Schiphol and KLM responded to the disruption and to identify where improvements can be made in the future. “The aim of the evaluation is to determine where improvements are possible in order to strengthen both the operation and the passenger experience,” said Schiphol President & CEO Pieter van Oord and KLM CEO Marjan Rintel in a joint statement.
During the first week of January, Schiphol was hit by what the airport described as “extreme winter weather”, which had a major impact on operations. Prolonged snowfall, freezing rain, low temperatures and strong winds led to thousands of flight cancellations and delays. As a result, large numbers of passengers were stranded, with some forced to spend the night at the airport.
As the largest airline operating at Schiphol, KLM was particularly affected with thousands of cancellations. Additionally, KLM is also a key operational partner of Schiphol in several areas, including aircraft de-icing.
The scale of the disruption drew criticism towards both Schiphol and KLM, especially as the airport appeared to be more severely affected than other European airports facing similar weather conditions. Passengers complained about insufficient communication and support. KLM meanwhile came under additional scrutiny after media reports revealed that the airline had to take emergency measures to avoid a shortage of de-icing fluid.
With the evaluation – initiated in part following political pressure – Schiphol and KLM aim to gain a clear understanding of what may have gone wrong and where opportunities for improvement exist.
“Schiphol and KLM have chosen to conduct the evaluation jointly, given the strong interdependencies between their processes and the importance of an integrated approach,” Van Oord and Rintel said. “The review will assess how these processes performed under winter weather conditions and identify any areas requiring improvement or further attention.”
Oliver Wyman
Schiphol and KLM have engaged Oliver Wyman to carry out the evaluation. The findings and recommendations are expected to be delivered by the end of March. “Oliver Wyman is a leading global aviation consultancy with extensive and relevant experience in the sector,” Van Oord and Rintel stated.
The choice of Oliver Wyman was also influenced by its prior experience with similar reviews, including an evaluation following the severe weather disruptions at Southwest Airlines and Denver International Airport in late 2022. That incident resulted in the cancellation of approximately 17,000 flights and left more than two million passengers stranded.
Scope of the review
The scope of the evaluation includes an analysis of runway availability and utilisation, aircraft de-icing capacity, cooperation between air traffic control, airlines and ground handling companies, passenger communication, and airport safety during the disruption period.
Oliver Wyman will also assess the costs and benefits of any potential additional measures.
Alongside executive teams of Schiphol and KLM, the final report will be shared with the Dutch parliament and government, which majority owns Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
