KLM Will Cancel Selected Flights From October 26 to Early March as Maintenance Delays Ground More Aircraft

KLM will remove a number of flights from its schedule in advance this winter because more of its aircraft are sitting in hangars than the airline had planned. The cancellations cover the period from 26 October 2026 until early March 2027, and KLM says the move is meant to free up extra long-haul jets as reserves and cut down on the last-minute disruption that has frustrated passengers in recent weeks.

Why KLM is trimming the schedule

The Dutch flag carrier confirmed the decision on Thursday, 8 October, after the plan was first reported by De Telegraaf. A KLM spokesperson told Dutch public broadcaster NOS that the shortage is the result of a combination of factors: unplanned maintenance, repairs to damaged aircraft, and scheduled maintenance work that is taking longer than expected. Deliveries of spare parts sometimes take a long time as well, the airline said.

KLM is also operating some services with different aircraft than originally planned.

The airline has not yet said how many flights will be cancelled or which destinations will be affected. According to NOS, KLM is looking at flights where the impact will be smallest and where passengers can most easily be rebooked onto other services. By acting weeks ahead of time, KLM hopes to run a more reliable and stable winter timetable.

A rough start to the autumn

The step follows a difficult stretch for KLM's long-haul operation. NL Times reported that over the weekend of 3 and 4 October the airline had to cancel at least five intercontinental routes at short notice because of a range of technical problems, causing frustration among passengers and headaches for crew scheduling.

According to Dutch aviation outlet Airwork, citing De Telegraaf, KLM's operations director Mathieu Essenberg, who took up the role only recently, first announced the measure internally. He said that adjusting the network was not the airline's preferred option, but that it would let customers know earlier where they stand and give KLM more room to cope with problems on the day itself. He added that the changes should help stabilise the operation as the Dutch autumn school holidays begin on Saturday, 10 October.

Maintenance division under closer watch

The cancellations come while KLM's maintenance arm is under enhanced supervision. Since late May, KLM Engineering & Maintenance has been under stricter oversight by the Dutch Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT), which found that the division was not meeting new standards requiring minor maintenance to be handled and recorded more quickly. Dutch news site TPO reported that the inspectorate described "a repeating negative picture" during checks in July, while confirming there were no safety problems. The heightened supervision runs until the end of December.

KLM has not named the inspectorate's oversight as a cause of the cancellations.

New aircraft arriving, but not yet flying

KLM has recently invested around seven billion euros in renewing its fleet while phasing out older models. Its first Airbus A350 arrived at Amsterdam Schiphol in early October, but a spokesperson told NOS that it will take some time before the new widebody is in regular service. TPO added that aviation site Up in the Sky reported minor damage had been found on the new aircraft, which KLM confirmed.

That timing matters. Airlines usually keep a small number of spare aircraft to step in when a jet goes unserviceable, but when several widebodies are tied up in maintenance at the same time and new aircraft are still being prepared for service, that buffer can disappear quickly.

What travellers should do

Passengers holding KLM tickets for travel between late October and early March may see their bookings changed in the coming weeks. KLM says it will try to rebook affected travellers wherever possible. Because the list of cancelled flights has not been published, travellers should keep their contact details up to date in their booking and check their reservation before departure.

The cancellations also come at a cost for KLM at a time when it is working to improve its finances, NL Times noted. More details on the affected routes are expected once KLM finalises its revised winter schedule.