Amsterdam Airport, no flight cuts in 2024: what changes for JetBlue and KLM
Stop cutting flights at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. After a long year spent announcing the importance of reducing noise, [...]
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Stop cutting flights over the airport in Amsterdam Schiphol. After a long year spent announcing the importance of reducing noise, pollution and aircraft at the country's main airport, the Dutch government has decided on a sharp about-face.
On Tuesday, in fact, the executive decided to suspend its plan To limit the number of night flights and the transit of private jets over Schiphol.
The plan was supposed to reduce both noise and environmental pollution. According to a government spokesperson, moreover, the plan was suspended due to opposition from the U.S. government, which deemed it contrary to agreements on flights between the States and Europe.
What was in the plan
The impact of the supposed plan would have eliminated approx. 50 thousand connections annually with the number of flights limited to 452,500 by 2024, about 10% less than the pre-pandemic peak of 500,000.
First of all, the night flights over Amsterdam. According to the Dutch government's rule, in fact, all incoming connections between midnight and five in the morning. In addition, all flights departing between midnight and 6 a.m. (to date, about fifteen a day between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m.) were also being canceled.
Also present was the ban on the noisiest aircraft (So the older ones, ed.) and for private jets, and the idea of opening an additional runway, a hypothesis that also responded to the great growth in demand for flights in recent years, was being permanently abandoned.
The JetBlue case
The plan had been hotly contested by several airlines, including Delta Air Lines and Air France-Klm. The latter saw a significant reduction in the operations of Dutch airline KLM, which has its global hub at Schiphol.
Indeed, the cut imposed by the government stipulated that some 24 airlines-which do not hold so-called historical rights-would not Would have been more entitled to the slots of takeoff or landing. While those with historical rights would have to reduce their traffic at the airport by 3.1%.
Another major opponent of the plan was the U.S. airline JetBlue. A few months before the start of operations (August 2023) and after a long legal battle, the carrier had received a few days ago the notice requiring it to give up flights from New York JFK and Boston to the Dutch capital, precisely because of the introduction of the new cutback plan.
A decision that sounded like a real mockery to JetBlue, which for long months has Had to fight against the protectionist push of the Netherlands, which wanted to prevent the carrier's entry on routes where KLM's dominance is unchallenged.
The ensuing legal battle saw JetBlue's arguments triumph, and it was not until last April that the slots were confirmed.
What happens now
Now, with the withdrawal of the plan by the Dutch government, it is conceivable that JetBlue will not only not withdraw from Amsterdam, but will try to increase flights ahead of the upcoming 2024 summer season. Meanwhile, the U.S. carrier had already applied for permission to fly between New York JFK and Boston over Lisbon; shifting the focus to the Portuguese market.
The home company, KLM, on the other hand, said it will continue the fleet renewal plan to get more modern, quieter and environmentally friendly airplanes. Overall, however, the airline can breathe a sigh of relief and avoid disrupting a network that needed to be rethought under government regulations.
The "price" to be paid, however, will be to have to compete on transatlantic routes with the aggressive fares and quality services offered by JetBlue.
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