Skift Travel News Blog

KLM has won its court case against the Dutch government, which proposed cutting flights at Schiphol Airport from 500,000 a year to 440,000 a year to reduce noise pollution.

The court stated the government did not comply with European rules, which specify a flight cap can only take effect after all measures to limit noise nuisance had been considered.

The District Court of Noord-Holland’s preliminary proceedings were brought by KLM and other airlines, including Delta Air Lines, easyJet, TUI and Corendon.

Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith earlier this year said any flight cap would also disrupt planning for the arrival of efficient new jets better able to curb emissions. The Franco-Dutch airline group said it had invested heavily in newer planes based on foreseeable capacity at KLM’s hub only to see the goal posts move abruptly.

Dutch businesses and citizens have also campaigned against the limiting of flights to Schiphol, arguing it will simply divert the traffic to other airports, and do little to reduce aviation emissions. Some 84,000 jobs could also be jeopardized if Dutch air travel was weakened, they added.

Schiphol Airport meanwhile plans to axe late-night flights over the next two years.

The summer may have passed but the staffing issues at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport have not. The airport is implementing new passenger caps that will restrict the number of travelers passing through the European hub until at least the end of October.

Following a shortfall in security staff, Schiphol is cutting the number of locally departing passengers by 18 percent a day — or to 54,500 people daily in September, and 57,000 in October — through October 31, Schiphol said Friday. And, the operator of Schiphol warned, additional capacity restrictions could be in place through the end of the year.

In 2019, Schiphol handled an average of 196,458 total arriving and departing passengers a day — including both local and transit travelers — according to airport data.

“This decision first and foremost is bad news for passengers and for airlines,” Royal Schiphol Group Chief Operating Officer Hanne Buis said. “Nevertheless, the decision taken is necessary with the safety of passengers and employees in mind.”

Schiphol is not alone in extending capacity restrictions beyond the summer. London’s Heathrow airport is also keeping summer caps in place through the end of October. However, London’s Gatwick airport, after facing its own issues over the peak holiday period, lifted its restrictions at the end of August.

KLM, the largest airline at Schiphol, said Friday that the news on short notice was “disappointing,” and that the new cap would have “far-reaching consequences for our passengers, colleagues and the national and international reputation of Schiphol and therefore KLM.”

European airlines have warned once and again that airport staffing, and other issues, threatened to derail what is widely expected to be a busy summer travel season. Those issues have been on display at KLM and Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport two weekends in a row now. The airline said Saturday that it would “no longer allow passengers to board for departure to Amsterdam at European destinations” due to issues at Schiphol for the rest of the day.

The decision to not carry passengers to Amsterdam comes a day after KLM said it would cancel roughly 50 flights a day across its network over the Pentecost holiday weekend, or Whitsun weekend. Monday, June 6, is a holiday in many European countries including the Netherlands.

KLM blamed the move Saturday on “unfavorable weather conditions and runway maintenance at Schiphol” that were forcing the cancellation of many outbound flights. This is on top of security staffing issues that have been blamed for crowding at the airport in recent weeks.

KLM planned to resume flying passengers to Amsterdam from European destinations on Sunday, June 5.