Airlines to Fight Dutch State Over Schiphol Airport Flight Caps

KLM, Delta, United and scores of carriers have filed an appeal at the Dutch Supreme Court to overturn a move by the Dutch government to curb traffic at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, the Dutch airline said on Tuesday.

The legal action announced by the airlines is an attempt to overturn a July 7 decision by the Amsterdam Court of Appeal which backed the Dutch government’s plans to reduce the number of flights at Schiphol to 460,000 from 500,000.

The lawsuit was also supported by JetBlue, easyJet, Corendon, TUI fly, and trade associations IATA, which has 300 airline members worldwide, and Airlines for America, which represents 10 U.S. airlines, among others, the statement said.

“The current judgement by the Amsterdam Court of Appeal creates a lack of clarity and causes uncertainty for passengers and the aviation sector,” it said. “The judgement conflicts with national, European and international regulations. It is in the interests of all parties to obtain clarity.”

The Dutch government had announced the cap in February, calling it a temporary solution to cut noise pollution and to tackle other environmental issues.

Royal Schiphol Group, the operator of airports in the Netherlands, is majority-owned by the Dutch state.

(Reporting by Tassilo Hummel and Anthony Deutsch; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

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