Amsterdam Schiphol Flight Cap Suspended

While all the aviation attention is on the Dubai Air Show, some important news came in relating to one of Europe’s biggest and busiest airports. Amsterdam Schiphol has been a discussion topic among airlines and aviation enthusiasts for quite some time now. That is since the Dutch government started its crusade against any airport expansion plans with the imposition of a yearly flight cap. However, after months of talks and airlines fighting for their precious slots, now everything has changed once again.

Dutch Government Suspends Amsterdam Schiphol Yearly Flight Cap

After the outrage the airlines manifested, rightfully, in the past months here’s the sudden plot twist. The yearly flight cap of 460,000 flights imposed on the airport by the Dutch government has been suspended. Therefore any plans to cut back flights in the near future will not come into effect.

The airport will continue to operate at the current level. Also if things don’t change from the government there might still be room to expand.

As the Netherlands are currently in the midst of a government crisis things are likely to remain how they are for quite some time. At least until a new round of elections takes place.

A Victory And a Relief For Airlines

The suspension of the flight cap measures that the Dutch government had imposed is a huge win for airlines flying in and out of the airport. I’m sure the high management of KLM took a long sigh of relief when they learnt about the news. The airline would have been one of the hardest hit airlines.

Carriers can now at least continue to plan their schedules with the current slots available. However there is still somewhat uncertainty around what could happen in the future. Nothing forbids a future new Dutch government from adopting similar measures. One thing is sure uncertainty and aviation business are not a good mix.

The Peculiar Amsterdam Schiphol Airport Statement

What is quite peculiar is the Amsterdam Schiphol airport statement. In it the airport authority criticizes the government on backtracking on the decision of imposing a flight cap. They state that it creates uncertainty for people who live around he airport and that the need of a night curfew is even more imminent now.

I find it quite strange that an airport authority that makes money from airlines flying in and out using their infrastructure as much as possibile is somewhat upset by the decision of removing a flight number cap.