KLM to keep long haul flights as Covid testing demands are softened

Dutch airline KLM will keep operating long haul flights, including for vaccine distribution, after agreeing with the government on softer demands for returning air crews to carry out rapid Covid-19 tests.

The Dutch arm of Air France-KLM said earlier in the week it would cancel all its 270 weekly long-haul flights to the Netherlands as a result of new Covid-19 rules, requiring passengers and crew to show evidence of a negative rapid coronavirus test taken just before departure.

KLM at the time said this would make it impossible to keep flying to countries with a high risk of coronavirus infections, as it would risk having to leave crew behind.