Amsterdam Airport to raise charges for airlines by 41% next year

Schiphol Group NV said it will hike the fees it charges airlines over the next two years as it seeks to improve infrastructure and penalize carriers for noisy planes. The owner of Amsterdam’s airport said it will raise airport charges by 41% next year, according to a statement on Thursday. The operator aims to increase the fee by an average of E15 ($16.3) per departing passenger in 2027 compared to this year. “The increase in charges is driven by exceptionally high inflation and sharply increased interest rates over the past three years,” the airport operator said in a statement. It also includes compensation for the losses made during the pandemic years. Schiphol has kicked off a plan to spend E6 toward upgrading the hub’s infrastructure over the next five years as it said passenger satisfaction was not at desired levels. It has also been advocating for measures to reduce noise. The new charges will make it “significantly more expensive or even impossible to fly with noisier aircraft and to fly at night,” Schiphol Group CFO Robert Carsouw said. Dutch carrier KLM slammed the move on Thursday, arguing it would make Schiphol the second-most expensive airport in Europe.<br/>