The Schiphol airport authority has said it is to again cut departing passenger numbers, this time up to March 2023, to cope with the shortage of security staff.

The reduction, an average of 13%, means 50,000 fewer passengers in holiday weeks and 46,000 off season. The figure will be reviewed again in December.

‘We want to guarantee the safety of passengers and staff and offer a reliable process through the airport,’ Schiphol COO Hanne Buis said in a statement. ‘We are working hard on structural improvements together with unions and security firms. But it is a major task in a very tight labour market and we have to be realistic.’

Dutch flag carrier KLM said after the announcement that it had now had enough. Schiphol has been grappling with staff shortages since the spring.

‘The situation at Schiphol has been demanding too much of our customers and our staff and for too long,’ chief executive Marjan Rintel said. ‘KLM has already said that reducing the number of passengers cannot be seen as a long-term measure but that would appear to be happening.’

KLM said it would further reduce ticket sales for the Dutch market in the coming months.

Two weeks ago, Schiphol said it was cutting passenger numbers by an average of 9,000 a day for a six week period. That announcement coincided with the resignation of the airport’s chief Dick Benschop over the failures.