In recent days, about 8,300 more flights have already been canceled at one of the busiest times of the year. Some airlines indicated that the staff shortage arose as the Omicron type of coronavirus spread rapidly around the world. Employees are infected or are isolated.

Even after Monday, the problems weren’t completely gone. At least 700 flights will be canceled on Tuesday. Canceled flights make up a small portion of the total number of flights worldwide every day, but they come at a tough time. Many people travel at the end of the year to visit friends and family.

Disease outbreak on board

The spread of the virus around the holidays also causes inconvenience at sea. US authorities are monitoring about 60 cruise ships for outbreaks on board. The Washington Post reported that due to concerns about the virus, some large ships were unable to dock on the Antilles islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao.

This included the Carnival Freedom ship, which was not able to go to Bonaire. Several passengers said they avoided public places on the ship as much as possible during the Christmas season as a precaution. A woman on the ship compared her cruise with The Washington Post to “walking around in a petri dish,” a dish in which scientists can grow bacteria.

As far as is known, no departures from KLM were canceled on Monday, according to Schiphol’s website. A KLM spokesperson confirmed that a number of flights to Amsterdam have been cancelled, although the exact reason for this is unknown.