Schiphol’s slot dilemma – and no end in sight

Leading airports focus strategically and economically on growth rather than contraction. An exception is Schiphol. There, the municipality of Amsterdam demands that the number of flights be reduced by 12%. That translates into 60,000 slots that would have to be canceled. A realistic scenario or an illusory one?

500,000, 440,000 or 460,000 – how many slots will SCL offer carriers in future? The debate is becoming increasingly heated  –  photo: CFG/hs

Expressed in figures, this would mean that, in future, only 440,000 movements could take place in AMS instead of the annual 500,000 permitted so far. It would be a drastic cut of Schiphol’s flight scheme, impacting its growth philosophy as well. Although owning only 20% of the shares, Amsterdam’s voice carries a strong weight. Should the city council’s advance be successful, provided the government as majority stakeholder (70%) doesn’t torpedo the slot cuts, cargo flights would suffer most. Compared to passenger services, their operations are often affected by fluctuations and delays. Hence, it can be estimated that some of the freight carriers still operating at Schiphol, will be forced to translocate their operations to Maastricht, Liège, Cologne, or Frankfurt-Hahn. Due to the geographical proximity of these airports and their focus on air freight, they can hope to benefit from a stiffer slot scheme at Schiphol.

Making noise to reduce noise
When asked, Joost van Doesburg, Head of Cargo, Schiphol, confirmed the intention of the city of Amsterdam. He pointed out that there is a measurement plan containing eight interlinked steps to make Schiphol cleaner and quieter, in line with most interests of the neighborhood. A core part of the residents’ list of requirements, is a ban on night flights, which is strongly supported by the city of Amsterdam. If realized, take-offs between midnight and 06:00 and landings until 05:00 would no longer be permitted. In order to achieve this, Schiphol alderwoman, Hester van Buren, announced in an interview with the Dutch paper, Het Parool, that the city council will take a harder stance in airport affairs. “Even with 20%, we can make a lot of noise about noise pollution. I am convinced that making noise helps in The Hague [seat of the Dutch government] and also in Brussels,” she told Het Parool. In addition, she questioned the need for passenger flights to Paris, Brussels, or London. “I am not an activist by birth, but when it comes down to it, we are an activist shareholder of Schiphol as of now,” she stated.

Threat from Washington showed effect
However, the Dutch government’s scope for agreeing to the wish list is limited. The Hague policymakers already had to back-pedal once after Washington threatened to drastically limit flights operated by Dutch airlines (particularly KLM) to and from the USA, if the Dutch government forces U.S. carriers to give up slots at Schiphol. The Dutch government’s face-saving justification at the time was that not all parties involved were consulted before the decision was taken to cut flights from 500,000 to 460,000. So, some were sidelined, unable to comment on the plans. Officially it was declared as “formal error”. Consequently, on 14NOV23, the responsible Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (I&W) scrapped all plans to cut slots until further notice.

Peak times could be managed differently
Stefan Donker, spokesperson for Corporate Affairs at Schiphol Airport, acknowledges a conflict of interest and at the same time indicates a way out of the muddled situation: “We are discussing this [slot issue] with the airlines. It is not about the total number of flights. The important thing is to reduce the pressure at peak times, when many aircraft take off or arrive in a short space of time.”

Alongside the seaport of Rotterdam, Schiphol Airport is the second lifeline of the Netherlands, on which the economic well-being of the entire nation is heavily dependent.

Growth vs. sustainability
Ruud Sondag, CEO Royal Schiphol Group, already emphasized this in a keynote speech on the airport’s transport policy in MAR23: “Schiphol connects the Netherlands with the rest of the world. We want to continue to do this, but we have to do it better. The only way forward is to become quieter and cleaner, faster. We have thought too long about growth, but too little about its impact. We need to be sustainable for our people, the local environment, and the world.”

Currently, the government and other stakeholders are discussing multiple scenarios. However, “there has not yet been a decision. We hope to provide clarity soon,” announced SCL speaker, Stefan Donker.

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