Schiphol slot cut moves ahead following Dutch government vote

Despite outcry from airlines and aviation groups, the Dutch government’s Lower House voted Sept. 12 that the proposed flight cuts at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol are not controversial enough to be held over for the Netherland’s next government to decide following elections in November. [caption id="attachment_57132271" align="alignright" width="300"] (Photo/Roger Cremers)[/caption] This comes after an appeals court ruled July 7 to throw out a suit brought against the government by airlines including Air France- KLM and Delta Air Lines . The plaintiffs are appealing to a higher court. Under the proposal, the airport (AMS) will be allowed to operate a maximum of 452,500 flights annually beginning next summer in a move to reduce noise and CO2 pollution. The current limit is 500,000 flights annually. “The news that airlines operating at Schiphol will lose slots from summer 2024 confirms our worst fears of the effects of the enforced cut to flight numbers at the airport,” IATA Deputy Director General Conrad Clifford said in a statement. “This is where the government’s ill-thought-out plans hit reality: fewer destinations and less choice, resulting in fewer travelers, lost employment and reduced investment coming into the Netherlands.” Slot cuts will negatively affect the country’s economy and reduce jobs, Clifford said. “This caretaker Dutch government, lacking any democratic mandate, is setting fire to its own shop,” Clifford said, calling on the European Union Commission to get involved. “This is surely the wake-up call other governments need to remind the Dutch of their responsibilities under international law and bilateral air service agreements. Meanwhile, our appeal to the cassation court remains to be heard. We hope the court decides swiftly on the legality of the ‘experimental regulation’ that is causing this mess.” Slot cuts to impact cargo ops AMS is the 18th busiest cargo airport in the world, according to the most recent annual data, from 2021, when AMS’ cargo throughput was 1.67 million tonnes. Olaf van Reeden , director of cargo partnerships at AMS, confirmed to Air Cargo Next at the CNS Partnership Conference in Miami in June that these slot cuts will reduce freighter operations at the airport. In hopes of forestalling government action, AMS was looking into CO2 and noise reduction methods, such as sustainable aviation fuel and banning older planes. Van Reeden conceded that most “older, noisier planes” are freighters. Even with reduced slots at AMS, van Reeden said he is confident cargo operations will remain robust. “Of course, it will have an impact on the total amount of cargo. But then again, we feel positive, because it’s going to be about quality instead of quantity,” van Reeden said, adding that AMS “is an important cargo hub and will remain an important cargo hub.” Cargo volume dips 6% YoY in H1 Even without the proposed flight cuts being implemented, AMS’ cargo operations dropped slightly in the first six months of 2023, according to a release today from the airport. AMS processed 679,214 tonnes of cargo in the first six months of 2023, a dip of 6% year over year, “in keeping with global trends for normalizing cargo volumes following months of ongoing decline,” according to the airport. Full freighter flights accounted for 431,315 tonnes of cargo, 64% of total throughput at AMS. “When you compare our figures to the wider picture across Europe, you’ll find that Schiphol Airport has weathered global challenges quite well,” Joost van Doesburg , head of cargo at airport operator Royal Schiphol Group, said in the release. “According to IATA, the total air cargo market in Europe saw a 10.2% [YoY] decrease, [but] here at Schiphol we had a significantly lower drop of 6%.” AMS’ inbound cargo volumes saw an increase on certain trade lanes in H1, with cargo inbound from Asia up 13% YoY, from the Middle East up 3% YoY and from Latin America up 7% YoY. “More freighters would like to fly to Schiphol, but our slots are full, and ad hoc slots have decreased significantly compared to last year. This is the biggest factor behind the tonnage loss,” van Doesburg said. “However, our limited freight slots have also driven us to become more stable than other European hubs, shifting our focus to streamlining and focusing our operations.” The number of full freighter flights in the second quarter was 9% lower YoY, but 17.8% higher than in 2019. “We remain focused on air cargo and are planning measures to secure freighter slots to ensure they cannot be swapped into passenger slots,” van Doesburg said. The clock is ticking! It is your last chance to join Air Cargo Next for its second annual Air Cargo Tech Summit on Sept. 18-19 in Brussels, sponsored by Unisys and Brussels Airport and featuring a fireside chat with Brian Hodges, managing director, American Airlines Cargo. For more details and to register, click here .

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