The Netherlands continues to struggle over the future of its biggest airport, and one of Europe’s busiest; government ministers are now pushing a plan to set priorities for slots at the airport based on contribution to the Dutch economy.
In practice, that would mean higher priority for airlines that either bring full-fare customers or help build the airport’s role as a transfer point, and lower priority for low-cost charter airlines.
The struggle is intense because Schiphol can’t expand, and plans to build up a new airport at a former airbase at Lelyveld have run into long delays because of environmental and other concerns.
The new government plan would allow the government to formally discriminate in favor of airlines with wide networks, a move that would especially favor hometown favorite KLM, while putting a crimp in the package tour industry that relies on the charter lines.
Mixed into all the competition is a desire to also reduce carbon emissions. Each side manages to find a ‘green’ reason for the outcome it wants. One greener alternative that may actually free up airport slots is the effort to get people to abandon short flights in favor of trains.
