KLM against Lelystad expansion

The aviation sector is voicing resistance against the plans to expand Lelystad's airport to accommodate budget and holiday traffic. KLM's top is also openly against the ideas for this regional airport. 

Carl Eurlings of KLM and vice president of Air France KLM group Peter Hartman told De Telegraaf that Lelystad's future function as an airport to catch the overflow from Schiphol will not be needed for years. Growth figures are dropping, and airplanes are getting bigger and more silent.

"Not a single airline company on Schiphol is enthusiastic to step over to Lelystad now. Tempt sums are being proposed in Lelystad that are the half of those at Schiphol. Because of that, Lelystad won't make profits for years" the managers say.

Frank Allard, president of branch organization Barin thinks that Lelystad airport is now entirely unrealistic. Hartman and Eurlings believe that the airport will become a money pit, where hundreds of millions of tax money will be wasted.

Holiday airlines ArkeFly and Corendon agree, but believe that there might be legal pressure to make their move to the airport in future anyway.