Flight tickets to become more expensive due to taxes and Schiphol shrinkage
Flying is set to become more expensive again for travelers. The expensive airline tickets are said to be a result of accumulating environmental and aviation taxes. In addition, the shrinkage of Schiphol Airport is also said to be contributing to the ticket price increase. KLM CEO Marjan Rintel warns that this will drive travelers into a corner, De Telegraaf reports.
"An flight ticket to Budapest, for example, is already subject to 60% in taxes and fees," Rintel says. She blames the price hike on politics. More specifically, the parties that are planning more and more measures for air travel during the election campaign for the upcoming general elections in November. "In this election fever, the measures are falling over each other. All political parties talk about flying, but it should be about pollution. We are investing billions in a quieter and more fuel-efficient fleet," the KLM CEO claims.
Furthermore, the controversial shrinking of Schiphol Airport, pushed through by the outgoing Cabinet, is also said to be the underlying cause of the expensive airline tickets.
Rintel calls on the parties to impose fewer national taxes, which she says do not contribute to sustainability. She is convinced that despite environmental policies, there would be no results. "People will then just switch to another airport and another airline," she told the newspaper.
Nevertheless, Air France-KLM has experienced its best quarter ever this summer, according to De Telegraaf. For the period from July to September, the airline group achieved an operating profit of 1.3 billion euros, breaking the record of six years ago. Overall, profits tripled this summer compared to last year.
