Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, which has built itself as a major transfer hub, Europe’s third-largest, is raising fees by 37%, with the possibility that the resulting fare hikes may drive passengers to cheaper hubs.
At least that’s the fear of airlines and their industry groups, which have been complaining loudly about the change, which will phase in over the next three years. One spokesperson argued that “Schiphol will become one of the most expensive airports in Europe. Ticket prices will go up and that concerns us… Customers have the choice and if they don’t want to pay, they will go to Dusseldorf or Brussels. And airlines can make the same choices.”
Airport officials, though, contend that the charges are necessary to guarantee sustainability at Schiphol, to improve passenger services and “provide decent working conditions for all people working at Schiphol.” Also part of the fee hike is recovery of pandemic-era losses. The state-owned airport is barred from making profits on its fees.
Image: Shirley de Jong/Wikimedia Commons
