Last Friday, CFO Bas Brouns gave us an explanation of KLM’s half-year figures. After a disappointing 1st quarter, this is also a disappointing 2nd quarter. Although the 2nd quarter did yield a positive result, the half-year figures are still worrying.
Care
De Unie has therefore expressed concerns about KLM’s recent half-year results. In the first six months of 2024, KLM recorded a negative operating result of 31 million, compared to a profit of 129 million in the same period in 2023. Turnover rose slightly to 6 billion, compared to 5.6 billion in the first half of last year. The number of passengers welcomed by KLM in the first half of the year was almost 16 million.
Aviation is erratic. The demand for flying is now high and ticket prices are good. This should be the time that KLM gets fat on the bones for any lesser times. But with these results, that will not work sufficiently. Moreover, the collective labor agreement will soon expire and the management is facing quite a few dilemmas.
Dilemmas
In addition to often difficult external factors, such as the discussion at Schiphol about the number of flight movements, KLM is faced with a number of complex dilemmas. Dilemmas that have a significant impact on operations and services. First, the airline sees costs rise. This puts pressure on the results, while the planned investments (including in the new fleet) are extremely important. In addition, KLM is struggling with a legacy from the past of a persistent lack of sufficient staff, especially pilots and technicians, which does not improve the continuity of operations. As a result, the workload for the current staff remains high, which leads to high absenteeism. These problems require urgent and innovative solutions to ensure the quality and reliability of KLM’s services.
Clarity
It is therefore time for KLM’s management to make choices quickly. Especially with the expiring collective labor agreement and the changing market conditions in the aviation industry. The management has announced measures in response to the figures, but at the moment it is not clear exactly what is meant by this. We find this ‘uncomfortable’ and will insist on clarity, so that employees know where they stand and KLM’s results improve quickly.
Sincerely,
Huug Brinkers and Wicher van der Hoef
Advocates
