Air France and Delta Air Lines ditch KLM’s ground handling services at Amsterdam Schiphol

KLM has announced that Air France, its group partner, and Delta Air Lines, the Dutch airline’s joint venture partner, have decided to ditch its ground handling services at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) and use another company's services for their flights at the airport.

In a short statement on September 29, 2025, KLM confirmed that Air France and Delta Air Lines decided to “seek an alternative ground handling partner at [AMS] for their below-the-wing operations, including baggage loading and unloading.”

The process will include inviting other service providers to send their proposals, resulting in a final selection that will choose the company that will be responsible for ground handling the two airlines’ flights at the airport.

KLM noted that Air France and Delta Air Lines’ decision has immediate operational implications, especially in its Ground Services department, with the Dutch airline currently assessing the financial and labor consequences of its two partner airlines’ choice for a different ground handling provider.

According to the airport’s website, apart from KLM Ground Services, Aviapartner, dnata, a subsidiary of Emirates, Menzies Aviation, Swissport, the former ground handling company of the now-bankrupt Swissair, and Viggo provide ground handling services at AMS.

Air France and Delta Air Lines’ decision to go with another ground handling partner at the Dutch airport came a few weeks after KLM had reached a negotiated agreement with some of the unions representing its ground staff.

On September 4, 2025, the Dutch airline announced that its ground staff, represented by the Dutch Association of Aviation Technicians (Nederlandse Vereniging van Luchtvaart Technici, NVLT), Trade union federation for Professionals (Vakcentrale voor Professionals, VCP), and De Unie, will receive a salary bump of 2.25%, a one-time payment, an improved profit-sharing scheme, and an improved retirement package.

However, two other unions, the Federation of Dutch Trade Unions (Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging, FNV) and the Christian National Trade Union Federation (Christelijk Nationaal Vakverbond, CNV), have refused to sign the agreement.

In a statement on September 26, 2025, FNV said that its represented employees working as KLM ground staff, as well as members of CNV, can proceed with a strike on October 1, 2025, despite the Dutch carrier’s attempt to have a court prevent the unions’ action that could impact its flights on that day.

John van Dorland, the trade union official of aviation at FNV, explained that the unions are not striking for fun, but out of necessity. “Management wants to fob off employees with a pay increase far below inflation and is also demanding much more flexibility,” van Dorland said, adding that the unions’ members will continue to push back until “a fair and acceptable outcome is achieved.”

KLM already had to cancel over 100 flights on September 10, 2025, due to a strike by FNV and CNV, which, according to the airline, “declined the invitation to enter into discussions with KLM about this agreement,” referring to a deal the airline reached with NVLT, VCP, and De Unie.

While the Dutch carrier has yet to publish any notice to its passengers about a potential strike on October 1, 2025, Cirium’s Diio Mi showed that on that day, KLM has scheduled 745 flights from and to AMS, with over 120,913 scheduled seats on flights departing and arriving at the airport.

If the two unions were to strike between 08:00 and 10:00 local time (UTC +2) – like they did on September 10, 2025 – it could affect up to 66 arrivals and 75 departures, totaling over 23,000 scheduled seats, according to Cirium’s Diio Mi.

KLM’s annual 2024 report disclosed that out of its total annual revenue of €10.3 billion ($12 billion), ‘Other,’ or revenue earned primarily from catering and handling services provided to third parties, was €279 million ($326.9 million).