KLM said on 5 November 2026 that the number of positions at the airline will fall by almost another 15%12. About 5,000 positions at KLM have been or will be reorganised, with the work carried out differently1. Around 1,000 of them will cease to exist through productivity improvements, while the other 4,000 or so involve work carried out with gategroup, transferred to external ground handling providers or moved to Air France-KLM1. KLM also says it has largely resolved its shortage of pilots and maintenance staff1.

How the 5,000 and the 1,000 jobs relate

Both figures come from the same announcement1. Since this spring, work covering 1,250 positions at KLM Catering Services has been carried out in partnership with gategroup. An estimated 800 positions in Ground Services involve work that will move to external providers, who will take over below-the-wing work at KLM Cityhopper and baggage handling in the East Hall at Schiphol. Another 2,000 positions, including 1,500 at the customer contact centre Cygnific, will move to Air France-KLM. The planned productivity improvements will then result in approximately 1,000 fewer positions at KLM1. The airline gives no breakdown of those 1,000 positions by department or role1.

KLM expects to limit the impact on employees through natural attrition, voluntary arrangements and transfers to other positions1. It wants to improve annual earnings by €1 billion, to a total of €1.4 billion, and to achieve a structural productivity increase of at least 8% by 2028, combined with very moderate wage growth1. To get there, KLM wants to agree new collective labour agreements with the unions1.

"KLM's future is not guaranteed," said chief executive Marjan Rintel. She added that "further changes to the organization, employment conditions, productivity, and staffing may still be necessary"1. Air France-KLM chief executive Ben Smith said the measures build on structural improvements KLM has already made, "while preserving its ability to invest in its customer promise, its fleet and the connectivity it offers the Netherlands"3.

The announcement came with third-quarter results. KLM Group's operating profit rose by €106 million to €458 million4. Chief financial officer Bas Brouns said the profit margin needs to rise to more than 8%4. The Back on Track programme has delivered a structural improvement since late 2024, but Air France-KLM says it is not yet enough to reach that target3. For a closer look at the figures, see our analysis of KLM's third-quarter results.

What it means for pilot hiring at KLM

KLM gives no figures for cockpit or cabin crew in the announcement1. The productivity target applies across the whole company3. On 5 November, the English-language KLM careers site listed 20 vacancies, none of them in the cockpit or cabin categories5. For the airline's pilot routes and requirements, see the KLM airline profile, KLM Flight Academy and the KLM Flight Academy selection process.

KLM is also changing its European fleet. It will keep the A321neo, but smaller Embraer E195-E2 aircraft will replace the A320s it had planned. The Boeing 737 and the Embraer E190 will be phased out over the coming years, and KLM Cityhopper will play a larger role1. KLM says it will operate a simplified fleet of 185 Airbus, Boeing and Embraer aircraft1. For 2026, Air France-KLM has trimmed its planned capacity growth to about 2%, from 2% to 3% previously3.

Europe: Lufthansa and KLM both target margins of 8% or more

In September 2025, Lufthansa said it would cut 4,000 administrative jobs by 2030, mainly in Germany, and set a target adjusted operating margin of 8% to 10% from 20286. The Lufthansa Group also plans to add more than 230 new aircraft by 20306. See the Lufthansa airline profile.

KLM links its plans to closer collaboration within Air France-KLM. The proposed expansion of the group to include SAS is under review by the European Commission, and KLM expects it to create further room for synergies1. Read more on the EU review of the Air France-KLM bid for SAS.