Fuel Supply Problem Causes Chaos At Schiphol
Jackie Reddy July 25, 2019
An issue with the fuel supply system at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) caused disruption to passengers and traffic at the facility on Wednesday. This problem was eventually located and rectified, but two-thirds of inbound flights had to be diverted, with residual disruption continuing on Thursday.
A problem with the fuel supply system at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) caused large-scale disruption at the facility on Wednesday afternoon, De Volksrant reports. The incident centered around a fault in the fuel supply system at the airport, a problem which affected 30,000 passengers.
According to the outlet, over 180 flights had to be canceled as a result of the issue and two-thirds of inbound flights had to be diverted. While some travelers were given rooms in local hotels, the outlet also states that lengthy lines formed at service desks throughout the airport as carriers struggled to accommodate all affected passengers.
Speaking to the BBC, passenger Michael Lowery said, “The queue’s [line’s] stretching across the terminal and that’s just for information. They won’t book me a hotel unless I wait in the queue [line]. So I either have to book one myself or wait four hours in a queue [line] to maybe get one.”
It is reported that about 1,300 passengers were forced to sleep in the airport because they were unable to leave the facility.
The problem with the fuel supply system at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol was rectified by 9:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday, but the incident had a knock-on effect on traffic at the facility the following day.
In a tweet on Thursday, the airport said, “Schiphol is almost back to normal after yesterday’s situation. The queues at transfer desks and ticket counters have decreased. Our expectation is that most travellers will be re-booked through their respective airlines today.”
