The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has expressed shock at the announcement by the government of the Netherlands that it would cut the number of annual flights at Schiphol Airport to 440,000, which is 20 per cent cut to Schiphol’s potential cap.
This is just as Heathrow airport management has warned that it would continue to cut flights to reduce upsurge of passengers who throng the airport during summer.
“This sudden decision is a shocking blow to aviation, jobs, and the economy of the Netherlands. It comes on top of a tripling of the passenger tax, and a 37 per cent rise in airport charges. We are seeing a throttling of air connectivity which has been steadily built up for 100 years, and supported large parts of the Dutch economy and the aspirations of millions of Dutch travelers,” said IATA’s Director General, Willie Walsh.
IATA said the justification put forward for the cut is not supported by facts. The government claims that the cuts would reduce noise and deliver a significant reduction in NOx emissions. But aviation’s NOx contribution is around one per cent of total NOx deposition in the Netherlands, and the redistributed noise paths that are also a part of this initiative would actually increase the number of people exposed to aircraft noise.
Prior to the pandemic, IATA said aviation supported more than 300,000 jobs and €22 billion in GDP to the economy of the Netherlands. Key to this economic contribution was the connectivity driven by Schiphol’s global hub airport role. In 2019, Amsterdam was the third-best internationally connected city in Europe, behind only London and Paris.
“When governments shut down aviation in the pandemic, we all saw the terrible impact that it had on people in the Netherlands and its economy. Downsizing Schiphol will permanently destroy jobs that are only now recovering. Moreover, without the possibility to grow at Schiphol, businesses in the Netherlands will need to evaluate their future in an economy that will be moving from global gateway to regional center,” said Walsh.
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IATA observed that Schiphol has been recovering fast since the end of pandemic restrictions. The airport has already had over 280,000 movements this year, putting it on track to reach its existing 500,000 movement limit. The previous Dutch government, recognizing the economic importance of Schiphol’s hub connections, set out a pathway for Schiphol to grow to 540,000 movements. The sudden announcement of a cut to 440,000 movements thus constitutes a 20 per cent cut to the potential connectivity of the airport.
On sustainable aviation, the industry has committed to reaching net-zero CO2 by 2050. Delivering this tough goal will require huge investment in sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and cleaner, quieter aircraft. KLM’s commitment to SAF, for example, is directly encouraging suppliers to increase production. But these investments can only be maximised if carriers are operating in a stable regulatory business environment. Overnight changes to the rules of the game by governments are counterproductive to investment in a more sustainable industry, nor do they create any environmental gain when passengers keen to fly will travel to alternative airports to do so.
“After two years of restrictions, the world is getting moving again. Schiphol has been struggling to cope with demand, which shows how important the airport is, not just to Dutch travelers, but as a strategic hub for the Netherlands. This crazy decision to cut the airport off at its knees will achieve none of the stated environmental aims, but it will cause irreparable harm to jobs and prosperity. The government should reverse course and set out a meaningful pathway for the sustainable growth of aviation in the Netherlands, focused on delivering sustainable aviation fuels and helping the industry meet its commitment to achieve net-zero CO2 by 2050,” said Walsh.
Meanwhile, Heathrow Airport has apologised to passengers caught up in recent travel chaos but warned that more flights could be cancelled, BBC News has reported.
The UK’s largest airport asked airlines to remove 61 flights from Monday’s schedules, as it seeks to cope with soaring demand and staff shortages.
Heathrow’s boss Mr. John Holland-Kaye said the airport would request, “further action if necessary”.
Tens of thousands of UK passengers have been affected by travel disruption.
Airports and airlines have struggled to recruit staff after shedding jobs during Covid-19 lockdowns as holiday demand has returned. The UK is about to enter the key summer holiday season as schools begin to break up.
The government and the aviation regulator wrote to carriers last month telling them to ensure their summer timetables were “deliverable”.
Last week, British Airways said it was cutting 10, 300 more short-haul flights between August and the end of October. The announcement, affecting Heathrow, Gatwick and City airports, means nearly 30,000 flights will have been removed from BA’s schedule between April and October this year.
Heathrow apologised to passengers affected by “long queue times, delays for passengers with reduced mobility, bags not travelling with passengers or arriving late”, at times in recent weeks.
But it insisted most passengers had a good level of service, despite resourcing challenges at the airport, airlines, ground handlers and government agencies.
Holland-Kaye further said: “I am very proud of the way that our team is rising to the challenge of growth, and giving excellent service to the vast majority of passengers.
“However, we have already seen times recently when demand exceeds the capacity of the airport, airlines and ground handlers.
“We will review the schedule changes that airlines have submitted in response to the government’s requirement to minimise disruption for passengers this summer and will ask them to take further action if necessary.”
Heathrow said it had asked airlines to remove 61 flights from Monday’sschedules, because more passengers are expected in Terminals 3 and 5 than the airport can currently serve.
Previous “schedule interventions” happened following problems with a baggage system, and because more passengers were expected than security staffing could cope with.
Heathrow said nearly six million passengers used the airport in June.
Source: This Day