Tribunal rules in favor of Schiphol’s rise in airport fees; KLM disappointed by decision

The losses Schiphol Airport incurred during the coronavirus can be passed on in the form of airport fees that passenger airlines pay. Airline companies have been complaining about high airport fees for a while. They argued to the CBb, an appeals tribunal for trade and industry, that the increase in port fees of 37% is excessive. The CBb disagrees with the notion of the airlines.

The aviation sector had earlier complained to The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) about the price hike. But the regulator saw no issue and waved away the protest.

KLM, EasyJet, and the airline industry association IATA argued to the CBb that they are being hit twice by the high costs at Schiphol. They are also suffering from heavy losses due to the pandemic.

However, the highest court for economic administrative law reached the conclusion that Schiphol is not exceptionally expensive after making the comparison with other airports.

This is also due to the fact that the term “reasonable” has a special meaning in aviation law. It is mainly about Schiphol not taking advantage of its position as the only national airport. The CBb believes that that is not the case.

It is impossible to appeal the decision, which means that the rates for using Schiphol are now permanently applied.

KLM has said that they are disappointed with the decision. “The losses that Schiphol made during the pandemic are repeated in this way on the airline companies while this is supposed to be a shared business risk,” a spokesperson for the airline said.