KLM reorganises and changes around 5,000 jobs
The airline aims to improve its annual result by €1 billion, while unions warn of a loss of expertise and jobs.
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KLM has announced a sweeping reorganisation in which around 5,000 jobs will be reorganised or disappear. According to chief executive Marjan Rintel, structural measures are needed to strengthen the company’s financial position and operations.
The plans were announced on Thursday alongside the third-quarter figures. KLM posted an adjusted operating result of €458 million, €106 million more than in the same period last year. Even so, the company considers profitability insufficient to finance necessary investments in aircraft, employees and operations.
KLM wants to improve its annual result by €1 billion. The company is also aiming for a structural productivity improvement of at least 8 per cent by 2028 and, according to KLM, wants to make employment conditions simpler and more competitive. Rintel says the airline is at a turning point and that further adjustments may be needed if the measures do not have sufficient effect.
The approximately 5,000 jobs will be affected in various ways. According to KLM, work involving around 1,250 jobs at KLM Catering Services was organised earlier this year in cooperation with gategroup. At Ground Services, KLM says it intends to have an estimated 800 jobs carried out by an external party. A further 2,000 jobs, including 1,500 at customer-contact company Cygnific, will be transferred within the group to Air France-KLM.
According to KLM, higher productivity will lead to around 1,000 fewer jobs at the airline itself. KLM says it mainly intends to absorb the staffing consequences through natural wastage, voluntary arrangements and reassignment. This means the announced number does not necessarily correspond to an equal number of compulsory redundancies, but employees may end up elsewhere, with another employer or outside KLM.
The airline also points to higher fuel costs, geopolitical developments, operational vulnerability and an excessive cost base. In the first nine months of 2026, the operating result came to €526 million, compared with €328 million in the same period of 2025. Revenue rose by more than 9 per cent over that period to €10.9 billion, while capacity increased by 4.3 per cent.
Unions acknowledge that KLM needs to become stronger, but question the chosen approach. CNV warns that, under the plans, employees will pay the price and asks how expertise, staffing levels and the quality of operations will be protected. The Vereniging Nederlandse Verkeersvliegers also says it wants to assess the plans for feasibility and the balance between the effort expected from staff and the other measures.
For travellers, it is not yet clear that flights will disappear immediately. KLM presents the reorganisation as a way to make the airline more competitive and reliable. The consequences for staff, services and Dutch air links will depend on how the plans are implemented in each area.
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Both sides of the figures
▲ Bright spots
- The operating result rose from €352 million to €458 million in the third quarter, according to KLM.
- Over the first nine months, revenue rose by more than 9 per cent to €10.9 billion and capacity by 4.3 per cent.
▼ Concerns
- KLM says profitability remains insufficient for necessary investment despite the improved result.
- The airline cites higher fuel costs, geopolitical developments and operational vulnerability as pressures.
- Around 5,000 jobs will be reorganised, outsourced, transferred or reduced.
Critical note
The amounts cited are nominal company results and revenue, not measures of purchasing power or real growth. The figures cover both the third quarter and the first nine months. According to KLM, the company has reported since 2026 using a revised IFRS 18 presentation; KLM says the comparative figures for 2025 have been adjusted.
Who notices what
- Workers
- Some work may be outsourced, transferred to Air France-KLM or eliminated through higher productivity.
- Businesses
- Suppliers and service providers around KLM may face outsourcing and changing contracts.
- Households
- Travellers may later notice consequences for services or connections, but it is not yet clear what effect this will have on flights.
- Government
- The Dutch government, as a shareholder, has an interest in KLM’s continuity, but its precise role in this reorganisation is not yet known.
Every point comes from the article’s sources and was included in the fact check.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- KLM wants to reorganise, outsource, transfer or reduce around 5,000 jobs.
- KLM posted an adjusted operating result of €458 million in the third quarter of 2026.
- KLM wants to improve its annual result by €1 billion and increase productivity.
- Unions are seeking clarity about employment, quality and feasibility.
Left
Arguments From a left-wing perspective, the reorganisation places the burden mainly on employees, while KLM is focusing primarily on costs and jobs despite an improved quarterly result. Public interests such as good-quality jobs, retaining expertise and accessibility should carry greater weight.
Values Job security, collective responsibility, the quality of public infrastructure and protection of employees.
Consequences Outsourcing and higher productivity targets could lead to a loss of expertise, pressure on employment conditions and more vulnerable services.
Centre
Arguments KLM needs to become financially stronger, but the plans must be demonstrably feasible and discussed carefully with staff and employee representation. A combination of natural wastage, reassignment, efficiency and targeted investment is the obvious course.
Values Continuity, feasibility, social dialogue and a balance between the interests of the company and its employees.
Consequences The reorganisation could make the airline more future-proof, but its impact will depend on implementation and on whether operations remain reliable.
Right
Arguments A commercial airline must be able to operate competitively and adapt its cost structure to international competition. If KLM does not generate sufficient returns, investment, connections and ultimately jobs will come under further pressure.
Values Competitiveness, freedom of enterprise, efficiency and financial responsibility.
Consequences Earlier intervention could make KLM stronger and preserve connections, even if it means difficult choices for staff in the short term.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The core claims can be found directly in KLM’s press release and in reactions from NOS and the unions. The text distinguishes between jobs that disappear, are outsourced or are transferred within the group.
- confirmed KLM is reorganising around 5,000 jobs, almost 15 per cent of the total. — KLM cites around 5,000 jobs and almost 15 per cent. source
- confirmed KLM wants to improve its annual result by €1 billion. — This is stated in KLM’s press release and the VNV response. source
- confirmed The adjusted operating result in the third quarter was €458 million. — KLM cites €458 million, €106 million more than a year earlier. source
- confirmed KLM wants to increase productivity structurally by at least 8 per cent by 2028. — This is stated in the section on employment conditions and productivity. source
- confirmed Around 2,000 jobs will be transferred to Air France-KLM. — KLM and CNV cite this figure, including around 1,500 at Cygnific. source
- confirmed It is not yet clear how many compulsory redundancies there will be. — KLM says it wants to absorb the consequences through natural wastage, voluntary measures and reassignment; this does not completely rule out compulsory redundancies. source
Editor's note
The reorganisation, the distribution of the approximately 5,000 jobs and the financial figures are based on KLM and confirmed or interpreted by NOS and employee organisations. It remains uncertain how many compulsory redundancies there will be and exactly what travellers will notice.Sources
- KLM grijpt in om positie te versterken en om Nederland met de wereld te blijven verbinden — KLM
- Cijfers derde kwartaal 2026 KLM Groep — KLM
- 5/11 in Nieuwsuur: De toekomst van KLM — NOS
- CNV: KLM-plannen komen hard aan bij werknemers — CNV
- VNV: KLM moet met heldere visie komen op toekomst van de maatschappij — Vereniging Nederlandse Verkeersvliegers
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