Amsterdam Schiphol has announced plans to raise its airport charges for 2024 by more than previously expected, “due to lost income in 2022”.
Charges will increase by 14.8 per cent next year, rather than the previously expected 12 per cent.
The airport said that the move was a result of lost revenue during the pandemic, with remaining travel restrictions at the start of 2022 leading to fewer flights.
Schiphol stressed that legislation meant it was not permitted to make any profit from airport charges, with monies received being spent on facilities and services used by airlines, including runway maintenance, security, maintenance in the terminal and cleaning.
The airport also said that where reduced flight numbers last year were a result of security staff shortages, it had not included the estimated share of this reduction on calculations.
“To the best of our knowledge, we have calculated Schiphol’s share in the bad year of 2022 and, although not obliged, deducted it from the increase we are making,” said CFO Robert Carsouw. “If we had not done that, the increase would have been higher.”
Earlier this year Schiphol’s CEO Ruud Sondag admitted that the airport “came close to breaking point during the spring and summer of 2022” as a result of “operational bottlenecks”.
Announcing the increased charges Carsouw said:
“We’ve notified the airlines and understand that they’re not very pleased. At the same time, it’s necessary for the quality at Schiphol and for our financial position.
“It’s also how the legislation works. In good years we are not allowed to profit from airport charges and so in bad years we cannot afford any losses.’
In September it was confirmed that Schiphol will temporarily cap flight movements in 2024, in a move which it says is aimed at addressing noise pollution and environmental concerns.
And this week it was reported that JetBlue has been denied slots for its transatlantic services to Amsterdam next year, as a result of the capacity cuts. To join in the discussion on our forum, click here.