Dutch authorities want to reduce noise and have submitted plans to gradually reduce Schiphol Airport’s annual capacity by 12 percent to 440,000 departures by 2024. Three months ago, the plans received a rejection from a local court, which indicated that the measures were not. I followed the correct procedure.
Not satisfied: Marjane Rentel, who heads the KLM division of the Air France-KLM airline group. Image: Bloomberg
But on Friday, the decision was reversed by an appeals court, according to reports bloomberg. The ruling is a blow to airlines such as Air France-KLM, Delta Air Lines and EasyJet, as well as industry association IATA, which recently called the airport “the worst in the world” after increasing landing fees.
– IATA President Willie Walsh said during the association’s annual meeting in Istanbul that the traffic disruptions are horrific and the performance is miserable and at the same time they will increase fees.
KLM is frustrated
KLM, which accounts for nearly 60 percent of traffic in Schiphol, is disappointed with Friday’s decision and writes in a press release that the company will study the ruling to assess the impact on the number of departures. The ruling by the Court of Appeal states that any fear in the airlines that they would be seriously harmed by the severance plans was not a reason to reach a different conclusion.
According to the news agency, the court wrote in a statement that the reduction plans do not violate national and European law. They do not conflict with the “General Principles of Good Administrative Practice”, nor the European rules on the so-called “balanced approach”.
closing the night?
On the other hand, airlines and the International Air Transport Association claim that the reductions violate international regulations and are unfavorable to travelers. As a first step, the Dutch authorities have proposed a temporary regulation that will reduce the annual capacity to 460,000 departures from November this year.
Butcher Schiphol: IATA President Willie Walsh. Photo: NTB
The Schiphol administration expects further clarification from the authorities within a couple of months, in time to reduce capacity for next year’s summer season. According to Bloomberg, the administration continues to plan for measures introduced in April, measures that include, among others, a nighttime shutdown and a ban on private flights.
Figures from Airports Council International Europe show that nearly 53 million passengers traveled through Europe’s largest transit airport last year – a site occupied by Schiphol ahead of Istanbul and Heathrow airports.
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