(Boursier.com) — As feared, JetBlue Airways will no longer have access to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport next summer. Airlines that do not have historical rights at the airport will not get slots for next summer, the director general of airport coordination in the Netherlands told ‘Bloomberg’. Hugo Thomassen said carriers with historic ‘slots’ will have to reduce their slots by 3.1% as the Dutch government moves ahead with contested plans to limit the number of flights to and from the airport in order to reduce noise and environmental pollution.
JetBlue began serving Amsterdam in August, putting it at a disadvantage compared to competitors with long-standing rights. The company previously announced it would ask US authorities to bar Dutch airline KLM from NY’s John F. Kennedy Airport in retaliation. JetBlue said it will continue to work to maintain its presence in Amsterdam: “We believe that the U.S. and Dutch governments have an obligation under our historic Open Skies Agreement to ensure that JetBlue has access continuous operation at Amsterdam’s only viable airport.
KLM also declared itself disappointed by the number of slots obtained for the next summer season. “This translates into a reduction of around 17 flights per day,” company spokesperson Gerrie Brand told ‘Reuters’. Delta Air Lines, Air France-KLM’s transatlantic partner, will have to eliminate 252 takeoff and landing slots while easyJet will lose 693.
The Dutch government plans to reduce annual flights at Schiphol by around 10%, to 452,500, to reduce environmental and noise pollution. KLM took legal action against the measure on the grounds that it “does not comply with laws and regulations”. KLM is also waiting for the European Commission to rule on whether the Dutch government correctly followed the balanced approach procedure, a process which outlines best practices for implementing airport capacity restrictions for the purposes of controlling airport traffic. noise.
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