Because of Schiphol’s shrinkage, Air France-KLM, which includes Transavia, must surrender 5,700 slots from the airport next summer. That was announced Thursday by the slot coordinator, responsible for distributing takeoff and landing rights. For 84 airlines operating at Schiphol, they are allowed to fly 3.1 percent less than they have rights to. A total of 9,100 fewer slots are available at Schiphol from March to the end of October. For the Air France-KLM group, which has a 63 percent market share at Schiphol, that means 5,700 fewer takeoffs and/or landings. That amounts to an average of 27 slots per day. KLM commented that it was disappointed with the number of slots allocated. The imposed shrinkage means for 24 airlines that have not accumulated historical rights, they will not be able to fly at Schiphol at all from the summer. That includes American JetBlue, which has not been allocated any slots for summer season 2024. JetBlue has only been flying two scheduled services from New York JFK and Boston to Schiphol Airport since last summer. The company made quite a name for itself in the Netherlands and gained a lot of name recognition in a short time. As is well known, the cabinet wants to limit the number of flight movements at Schiphol next year to a maximum of 460,000 per year. This is necessary to reduce noise pollution. (Photo Shutterstock).
