Schiphol restores passport control system after 10-hours; Hundreds miss flights

The IT disruption affecting the self-service passport control system at Schiphol Airport has been resolved in around 10 hours since the problem was first noticed, the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee said. Several hundred people have reportedly missed their flights. Travellers faced long queues and significant crowds on Sunday following the system malfunction, while the airport was already experiencing an increased flow of passengers due to the fall holidays.

Some passengers missed their connecting flights, De Telegraaf reported. Arriving passengers reported waiting times of over an hour. Some waited several hours. “Even during the diastorous summer of 2022, I never saw queues this long,” one traveller told De Telegraaf.

“There was no water, no information. We had absolutely no idea what was going on,” a mother from Portland, called Shannon, told De Telegraaf. Shannon was travelling with her daughter Linda from Rome and missed their connecting flight because of a delay.

A man called Jeffrey told the news outlet that he had been waiting since 8 o’clock on Sunday for a group of 20 passengers from Boston. “They are going on a river cruise, and I have to make sure they get on board safely,” he told the news outlet. “Fortunately, the ships don’t depart until this evening. But it’s not a pleasant way for them to begin their holiday.” Images on social media showed long queues at border control between Arrivals Halls 1 and 2.