Paramaribo-based national carrier Surinam Airways (SLM) confirmed that its scheduled morning flight PY993 operating the popular Amsterdam to Paramaribo route faced a significant multi-hour delay on Friday, November 13, 2026, originating at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Originally slated for a 10:20 a.m. local departure, the flight’s revised takeoff window was pushed back to 5:00 p.m. the same day, translating to a total delay of 6 hours and 40 minutes for all boarded and waiting passengers. The airline’s public relations team first notified travelers of a potential minor delay earlier that day, framing the initial disruption as part of routine, pre-planned technical maintenance required to ensure the long-haul aircraft met all international aviation safety standards. However, the unforeseen bottleneck that extended the delay far beyond initial estimates emerged when a critical replacement component needed to complete the maintenance work could not clear Dutch customs procedures as scheduled. SLM officials traced the customs clearance failure to a widespread global outage affecting Microsoft Office 365 systems, which crippled the digital documentation and processing workflows that port and airport customs agencies rely on to expedite time-sensitive air cargo and aviation parts. The airline noted that certified aircraft technicians were on site at Schiphol working to wrap up all required maintenance tasks as quickly as possible once the component was released, and stressed that no corners would be cut on inspection protocols to prioritize the safety and operational reliability of the flight, a non-negotiable core policy for the Surinamese flag carrier. SLM’s customer service teams confirmed they would send real-time direct updates to all affected passengers via their registered contact details if any further adjustments to the departure timeline arose. The carrier issued a formal public apology for the significant inconvenience the extended delay caused to travel plans, and extended gratitude to impacted passengers for their patience and understanding as teams worked to resolve the issue and get the flight en route to Paramaribo as soon as safely possible.
Suriname’s SLM flight significantly delayed: part not cleared in time due to Microsoft outage
