KLM could drop 30 destinations if Schiphol contraction plan moves forward

The government’s plans to reduce Schiphol’s flight movements will likely mean KLM has to significantly reduce its destination network. The airline thinks it’ll have to scrap about 25 European destinations and at least five long-haul destinations. That would shrink its network by roughly a fifth.

The Cabinet wants to reduce the number of flight movements at the airport from a maximum of 500,000 to 440,000 per year. The goal is to limit noise pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. As the largest user of Schiphol, the measure will hit KLM hard.

In June, the company already said it feared for the survival of its network as we know it today. KLM also indicated that the reduction would severely undermine Schiphol’s hub function. But at the time, KLM had not concretely figured out the impact of the Cabinet’s decision. The airline did so now and sent its expectation to members of parliament.

A possible scenario is KLM scrapping approximately 25 European destinations. That includes cities like Kyiv, Porto, and Belgrade. Montreal, Boston, Taipei, and Osaka, for example, could be dropped from the long-haul destinations.

The airline spoke of “significant damage” to its network, all the more so because the company has to cope with the many transfer passengers who fly from, for example, Asia via Schiphol to another destination in Europe. “In recent years, we have added unique connections to make the Europe operation profitable and to make KLM financially healthy.”

According to KLM, this shrinkage is unnecessary because fleet renewal leads to better outcomes for noise and emission reduction. Replacing old aircraft with more fuel-efficient planes could cut noise by half by 2030. The newer aircraft would also reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 15 percent.

The airline also insisted that the entire Dutch business community would suffer if the Cabinet continued with its contraction plan. “The queues at Schiphol show that people want to continue to travel. And if it is not possible from Schiphol, people will leave from neighboring countries.”
KLM hopes its presentation will change politicians’ minds.

According to EenVandaag, the three experts the Cabinet asked to evaluate its plans for the flight movement reduction were very critical of the method the Cabinet used to determine the maximum number of flights. They called the method "arbitrary," "one-sided," and poorly substantiated.