The airlines find the unilateral and sudden decision of the cabinet to reduce Schiphol airport from 500.000 to 460.000 flight movements per year (with the ultimate goal of a reduction to 440.000 in 2024) incomprehensible.
The KLM Group, Delta Air Lines, Corendon, easyJet and TUI are filing summary proceedings against the Dutch government to ensure that the Netherlands remains connected to the rest of the world via Schiphol. The immediate reason is the unilateral cabinet decision to drastically reduce the number of flight movements at Schiphol this year, without looking at alternatives. The airlines are convinced that they can achieve less noise and CO2 emissions while retaining the destination network for the millions of passengers and tons of cargo they transport to and from Schiphol every year.
Schiphol Airport makes an important contribution to the Dutch economy. Directly and indirectly, Schiphol and the network provide more than XNUMX jobs. This network also makes it interesting for foreign companies to establish themselves in the Netherlands. And millions of Dutch people use it every year for holidays, family visits or studies.
The airlines find the unilateral and sudden decision of the cabinet to reduce Schiphol airport from 500.000 to 460.000 flight movements per year (with the ultimate goal of a reduction to 440.000 in 2024) incomprehensible. Airlines invest billions to achieve short- and long-term sustainability goals, both their own ambitions and the goals of governments. The cabinet imposes operational restrictions without investigating workable alternative solutions for noise reduction.
It is an unnecessary and harmful decision, which is also contrary to national, European and international regulations. The capacity reduction would not only have a negative impact on the Dutch economy, but would also significantly limit travel options and the number of connections for consumers. The government steps on the brakes without proper substantiation, while aviation is achieving demonstrable results when it comes to lower CO2 emissions and noise. That is why KLM, KLM Cityhopper, Transavia, Martinair – all part of the Air France-KLM Group – as well as Delta Air Lines, easyJet, Corendon and TUI are forced to ask the court for a future perspective.
The KLM Group, which accounts for almost 60% of air traffic at Schiphol, has filed this lawsuit in line with the position of parent company Air France-KLM Group. In addition, aviation industry association BARIN has indicated that it fully supports this initiative. This initiative is also fully supported by industry associations Airlines for Europe (A4E) and the European Regions Airline Association (ERA), as the capacity reduction at Schiphol has major consequences for the EU's internal aviation market. The aviation industry association IATA is also taking legal action with a number of airlines. They themselves are filing summary proceedings against the Dutch government, according to the Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij.
