SCHIPHOL – Dutch airline KLM has announced a sweeping restructuring that will affect approximately 5,000 positions, significantly change its European aircraft fleet, and transfer several operational activities to external companies as the carrier attempts to reduce costs and strengthen its long-term financial position.
The restructuring, announced on Thursday, November 5, 2026, represents one of the airline's most significant organizational changes in recent years. It comes as KLM faces rising operating costs, high fuel prices, international uncertainty, and increasing pressure to improve profitability.
KLM President and CEO Marjan Rintel warned that the airline must take decisive action to secure its future, despite improvements already achieved through previous cost-saving programs.
The airline aims to improve its annual financial results by an additional €1 billion, allowing it to continue investing in aircraft modernization, passenger services, and its international network.
One of the most significant aspects of the restructuring concerns employment.
According to KLM, approximately 5,000 positions have already been or will be reorganized. However, the company emphasized that this does not mean 5,000 employees will automatically lose their jobs.
The restructuring includes approximately 1,250 positions at KLM Catering Services, where activities have been carried out in partnership with international catering company gategroup since earlier this year.
Another 800 positions in Ground Services will be affected as selected operations are transferred to external service providers.
Approximately 2,000 positions will be transferred within the Air France-KLM group, including around 1,500 positions at the customer contact center Cygnific.
In addition, the airline expects to eliminate approximately 1,000 positions through structural productivity improvements.
KLM intends to limit the impact on employees through natural attrition, voluntary arrangements, and transfers to other positions.
Nevertheless, the restructuring is expected to reduce the number of positions within KLM by nearly 15 percent.
The airline also plans to negotiate new collective labor agreements with unions, aiming to achieve productivity improvements of at least eight percent by 2028 while maintaining moderate wage growth.
The restructuring extends beyond staffing and will also significantly affect KLM's aircraft fleet.
The airline confirmed that it will gradually retire its Boeing 737 and Embraer E190 aircraft over the coming years as part of a broader effort to simplify its European operations.
KLM has also decided not to proceed with its earlier plans to introduce the Airbus A320neo into its own fleet.
Instead, the airline will continue operating the larger Airbus A321neo while expanding the role of the Embraer E195-E2, operated by its regional subsidiary KLM Cityhopper.
According to the company, using a combination of larger and smaller aircraft will allow it to match passenger capacity more closely to demand on individual European routes.
The strategy is intended to improve efficiency and reduce operating costs, particularly on routes where larger aircraft may not be economically justified.
The changes will also affect ground handling, baggage operations, cargo services, and aircraft maintenance.
At Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, external companies will take over selected baggage-handling and apron activities, while KLM will increasingly use digital technology and automation to improve operational efficiency.
KLM Cargo will consolidate its freight-handling operations, while the maintenance division will concentrate more heavily on aircraft types that will remain in service.
The airline said it has already achieved more than €750 million in structural financial improvements through previous measures, but management believes further action is necessary.
Despite the restructuring, KLM intends to maintain its international network of approximately 160 nonstop destinations from Amsterdam Schiphol.
The airline also plans to continue investing in passenger comfort, including newer aircraft, improved onboard services, and free high-speed Wi-Fi on intercontinental flights.
For Curaçao, the developments are particularly relevant because KLM remains an important airline connecting the island with the Netherlands and international destinations through Amsterdam Schiphol.
However, the announced retirement of Boeing 737 and Embraer E190 aircraft primarily concerns KLM's European operations. The company has not announced specific changes to its Curaçao services as part of this restructuring.
KLM's long-haul operations, including flights to the Dutch Caribbean, use larger wide-body aircraft and are therefore not directly affected by the announced retirement of these European aircraft types.
Nevertheless, changes to the airline's European network could influence how passengers connect through Schiphol to destinations such as Curaçao.
The airline has not announced route-specific consequences for these connections.
The restructuring also comes as the wider Air France-KLM group continues pursuing closer cooperation among its airlines, including a proposed expansion involving Scandinavian carrier SAS.
KLM management believes greater cooperation, lower operating costs, and a modernized fleet are necessary to maintain the airline's competitiveness.
Rintel acknowledged that the decisions will be difficult for employees, particularly those who have spent much of their careers working in activities that will now be reorganized or outsourced.
She also warned that further changes to staffing, working conditions, and organizational structures may become necessary if the current measures fail to produce the required improvements.
For passengers, the immediate message is that KLM intends to continue operating its international network while restructuring the organization behind it.
For employees, however, the coming years will bring considerable changes as the Dutch airline attempts to become smaller, more efficient, and financially stronger in an increasingly competitive aviation market.