In an effort to reduce air pollution, the Dutch government plans to put a cap on the number of flights departing Schiphol Airport. The result? KLM will have to scrap some of its travel destinations.
The nation’s busiest airport intends to shrink the number of flights by 500,000 to 440,000 every year starting in 2023 — and naturally, Royal Dutch Airlines will be hit hardest by this change. 😬
KLM expects that about 25 European destinations will be cancelled — and at least five other long-haul destinations.
A brief look into the scrapped destinations
Folks will be seeing fewer flights leaving to and from Schiphol Airport for about 25 different, European destinations. According to RTL Nieuws, these might include popular cities such as Kyiv, Porto, and Belgrade.
Cities like Montreal, Boston, Taipei, and Osaka could also be dropped as long-haul destinations.
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KLM dealt with major damage to its destination network, particularly due to the many passengers who flew from faraway countries like Asia and had to transfer through the chaos at Schiphol.
“In recent years, we have added unique connections to make the Europe operation profitable and to make KLM financially healthy”, a spokesperson for KLM tells RTL Nieuws.
KLM is on board with the plan
In June, KLM feared that Schiphol’s destination network would continue to exist as it does today, leaving a major impact on the environment. 🌱
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However, now that the Dutch cabinet announced its concrete plans to limit flights, the airline is ready to do the same.
Environmental reasons aside, the chaos at Schiphol botched the airport’s reputation greatly and has led KLM to believe its hub function is not as optimal as it once was.
Did you experience flight cancellations via KLM? Tell us in the comments below! 👇