CEO Update: Our operation and situation in the Middle East
April 20, 2026
Dear colleagues,
The situation in the Middle East remains highly uncertain and therefore unpredictable. We have taken measures and are prepared for various scenarios. At the same time, the May vacation period has begun, a busy time in which everything comes together and we want to offer our passengers a fantastic travel experience. In this update, I will walk you through the current state of affairs and our preparations.
Middle East: significant uncertainty continues
The uncertain situation in the Middle East continues to have a major impact on our operation, as I mentioned in my previous update.
I want to express my support for our colleagues in the region. We are in regular online contact with them. We are hearing that the teams are doing well, and everyone is eagerly looking forward to the moment we can resume flying. Until then, colleagues continue to work where possible and keep up with their training so they are ready to resume as soon as we can, hopefully soon, restart operations. Thank you all for your dedication.
We adjust our network and operation on a daily basis so we can respond quickly to changes. Flights to destinations in the Gulf region (Riyadh, Dammam, Tel Aviv, and Dubai) have been canceled for an extended period. This naturally leads to network adjustments and rerouting, which affects our intercontinental network. There is also limited room to add extra flights to high‑demand destinations.
You can find the latest updates in the Middle East live blog on the NewsApp.
During this uncertain period, we continue to closely monitor our costs and investments. The financial measures we have implemented remain in effect.
Adjustments to the European flight schedule due to high fuel costs
Regarding fuel availability, we are not seeing any positive changes compared to two weeks ago. We have prepared for potential shortages, but at this time there is sufficient fuel to operate our flights in the short term. However, prices remain high and surcharges are being applied.
For the coming month, we have implemented a limited number of adjustments to our European flight schedule. This concerns approximately 80 round‑trip flights that we will temporarily not operate, less than 1% of our European flights during this period. These adjustments are the result of sharply increased fuel costs, which make a small part of the network temporarily unprofitable. To be clear, there is no fuel shortage at this time.
Because these adjustments mainly affect destinations we serve multiple times per day, such as London and Düsseldorf, we are able to rebook passengers quickly in most cases, even during these busy weeks.
Our operation has significantly improved
The good news is that since the second half of January, after the weeks of snowfall and the safety incidents (Venezuela and the Middle East), our operation has stabilized and continues to improve. Despite the current disruptions caused by the conflict in the Middle East, many things are going well.
We have created more room for maintenance and reserve aircraft, allowing us to better absorb last‑minute disruptions. On the ground, we have deployed more staff and equipment. Thanks to agreements with VNV, we can schedule our pilots more effectively. In addition, we are seeing more stability at Schiphol, partly due to the use of the fourth runway during the morning peak. We continue to work with LVNL to enable more capacity at other times of the day as well.
All these measures have helped us operate more flights according to schedule; in March, we had our best weeks in three years in that regard. Our on‑time performance is also improving and is now approaching pre‑COVID levels. Customer appreciation (NPS) has shown strong results since February, with scores between 40 and 50.
In Cargo, we have seen strong growth in freight volume in recent months due to the situation in the Middle East. This places high demands on our teams. At the same time, Cargo is benefiting from the more stable operation: because we are operating more flights, we have more capacity for freight and can better serve our Cargo customers.
May vacation period has begun
With the May vacation period, we are once again entering a time of peak demand. These weeks mark an important starting point toward the summer. Even with the additional challenges caused by the situation in the Middle East, I am confident that the coming weeks will go well.
Last year, we carried 1.84 million passengers during the May vacation. This year, the numbers are even higher, and we are transporting more passengers during this period than ever before. We expect nearly 2 million passengers over the full May vacation.
The first peak days are now behind us, from Thursday, April 16 through Sunday, April 19, with Friday being the busiest day at 114,000 passengers. We prepared well for this, and it paid off. Over the weekend, we even exceeded our on‑time performance targets. However, on Sunday there was a temporary malfunction in Schiphol’s baggage system. The Entry/Exit System (EES) also caused longer wait times at passport control for non‑EU travelers. We are in discussions with Schiphol to better manage the impact.
Especially on ICA and at KLC, we had an excellent operation, aside from the Middle East disruptions, thanks to everyone’s efforts. In Europe, we faced some fleet challenges due to the outage of an Airbus aircraft. Fortunately, KLC was able to take over several European flights so we could still get our passengers to their destinations.
I will continue to keep you updated on developments in the coming period.
To all colleagues enjoying a well‑deserved vacation: I hope you have a relaxing time. And to everyone working during this period: best of luck. Above all, continue to work safely; that is always our top priority. Take good care of our passengers, of each other, and of yourself.
Thank you for your dedication.
