The Dutch government announced today that it will introduce a new “green” flight cap, scheduled to be introduced from 2024. Let’s go through the details and talk about what this means for airlines and travelers.
Amsterdam Schiphol continues with new flight cap
The Dutch government is preparing to reduce flight capacity at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to 452,500 flights per year, which is bad news for the airlines that serve the airport (and therefore passengers). This policy is expected to be implemented from 2024. However, an exact date depends on the approval of this plan by the European Commission.
This means that some flights already on offer may need to be canceled. For comparison, this plan for Amsterdam Schiphol Airport was first announced by the Dutch government in June 2022. To summarize some numbers again:
- The airport can currently handle up to 500,000 flights per year
- The previous plan was for the airport to grow to 540,000 flights per year
- The new cap limits the airport to 454,500 flights per year
- In other words, this means a 10% reduction compared to the current cap and about a 16% reduction compared to what the cap should be in the future
This ban is intended as an environmental measure as part of the Netherlands’ climate goals. As expected, this was met with strong resistance from airlines. In April 2023, a Dutch court blocked this new flight cap, saying the government had not followed the correct procedure. That’s because the government made the decision unilaterally and did not follow European Union rules that require consultation with stakeholders, including airlines.
Unfortunately, this was only a temporary relief for airlines, and in July 2023 an appeals court ruled that the government could move forward with the new flight cap.
There will be a flight reduction at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
KLM is not happy with this new flight cap
Marjan Rintel, CEO of KLM, made a statement today about the government’s plans:
We are proud of KLM’s contribution to the accessibility of the Netherlands and serve almost 170 direct destinations worldwide from our Schiphol hub. We serve the needs of millions of people who want to discover places around the world – to do business, reunite families and transport essential cargo. We hope to continue to do this in harmony with the local environment.
Minister Harbers asked us to reduce noise by 20%. To this end, we have put forward the cleaner, quieter and more efficient plan. In it we show that we can achieve the noise reduction targets while maintaining the same number of aircraft movements and thus maintain the connection between the Netherlands as a trading nation and the rest of the world. Nevertheless, the minister remains focused on capacity reductions.
It is hard to imagine that an outgoing government will make such a drastic decision as the Dutch House of Representatives is due to vote on September 12 on which dossiers will be declared controversial. As an outgoing minister, you don’t mind if you close up shop!
KLM has the most to lose with this new flight cap
This has a significant impact on airlines and passengers
While I understand the desire to reduce emissions, I feel like this solution won’t really make a big difference. Whether the Dutch government likes it or not, global demand for air travel continues to grow over time:
- A lower flight cap will simply allow fewer non-stop connections between Amsterdam and destinations around the world, which is not good for the Dutch economy
- Not only will this hurt airlines, but it will also result in higher fares for consumers over time
- If the goal is to reduce emissions, how about limiting the types of aircraft that fly into the airport? This cap will reduce flights by 10-16%, while new generation aircraft often show emissions reductions of 20%, which would have an even greater impact
- Speaking of emissions, how about adding some sort of carbon offset tax to every ticket that funds projects that can have a positive impact on the environment?
- Climate change and environmental initiatives cannot truly be viewed in isolation; This will simply result in traffic being rerouted through other airport hubs in the region
Only time will tell how this plays out. I wouldn’t be surprised if this wasn’t the end of the saga…
This flight cap is very bad news for airlines
Bottom line
The Dutch government plans to push ahead with its new “green” flight cap for Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. This will reduce flights at the airport from 500,000 to 454,500 per year, a significant reduction.
Now the European Commission must approve this plan. In this case, airlines should start cutting their flight schedules at the airport.
What do you think of this new Dutch aviator hat?