KLM Confident in Winning Appeal to Block Schiphol Flight Cuts

KLM and other airlines will head back to court later in June to face off again with the government of the Netherlands over its proposed flight cuts at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.

A Dutch court is scheduled to hear an appeal by the government on June 21. If the government wins, it plans to reduce total aircraft movements at Schiphol to 460,000 annually from 500,000 beginning in March 2024, and to 440,000 annually at a later date to reduce noise. At stake is the future of KLM's hub at Schiphol, one of the "golden geese" powering the Dutch economy.

"We’re confident in the appeal," KLM CEO Marjan Rintel said on the sidelines of the IATA Annual General Meeting in Istanbul Sunday. Any forced flight reductions at Schiphol should only be a "last resort" to reduce noise after aircraft modernization and other operational