SAS and KLM cancel Athens flights from Copenhagen and Amsterdam

Disruption overview

Passengers traveling between Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Athens are facing ongoing disruption after SAS and KLM canceled multiple services to Athens International Airport and pulled some upcoming flights from sale. The cuts affect routes from Copenhagen Airport and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and are leaving some travelers to rebuild trips that include onward flights or ferries within Greece, while hotel rooms and alternative seats are getting harder to find in the busy summer period. Because the disruption appears linked to airline operational pressures rather than events outside the airlines' control, many passengers may be entitled to up to £520 compensation under EC 261, as well as rerouting, refunds, meals, and overnight accommodation where needed.

Disruption details

Passengers flying between Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Athens are facing ongoing disruption after Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines canceled multiple services to Athens International Airport and pulled some upcoming flights from sale.

Schedules show consecutive cancellations over several days on routes linking Copenhagen Airport in Denmark and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands with Athens in Greece. For passengers, this means more than a one-off delay. Entire trips may need to be rebuilt at short notice, right at the start of the busy summer travel period.

For many travelers, that can quickly create bigger problems:

• Missed onward domestic flights within Greece

• Lost ferry connections from Athens to the islands

• Extra hotel, meal, and transport costs while waiting for a new seat

Some passengers have been rebooked on alliance partners, but that doesn't solve everything. Summer flights are already busy, so spare seats are disappearing fast. If your original booking connected to a domestic flight in Greece or a ferry from Athens, fixing one part of the journey doesn't always fix the rest. In some cases, travelers may still face overnight stays or waits of several days for a workable alternative.

Neither airline has pointed to one single cause for the cuts. The pressure appears to come from a wider mix of operational problems in 2026. SAS has faced recurring fleet-availability issues, while KLM has been dealing with staffing shortages, aircraft utilization limits, and congestion caps at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

Reducing Athens rotations can help airlines free aircraft and crews for other routes, but it also removes important capacity for leisure travelers from Scandinavia and the Benelux heading to Greece. The effect is even sharper because Athens International Airport is already seeing longer processing times as the EU's new Entry/Exit System adds pressure at the border.

That matters because Athens is often only one step in the journey. Many northern European visitors rely on same-day connections through the Greek capital to reach island destinations with limited daily service. When the first flight disappears, hotel stays, excursions, and short vacation plans can be lost with it.

If you're booked to travel soon, keep checking your reservation closely and ask about rerouting as early as possible. It also helps to keep your boarding pass, booking confirmation, and receipts for any essential extra costs such as food, hotels, or ground transportation.

Because these cancellations appear to be linked to issues within the airlines' control rather than events outside it, many affected passengers may be entitled to up to £520 compensation under EC 261. If your flight was canceled or arrived more than 3 hours late, you may also be entitled to rerouting or a refund, plus care such as meals, hotel accommodation, and transport if you're stranded overnight.

If your SAS or KLM flight to or from Athens has been disrupted, you can check your compensation with AirHelp's free flight checker in just 2 minutes.

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