The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has reacted angrily to confirmation from the Dutch Slot co-ordinator at Amsterdam Schiphol of the reductions in slots from Summer 2024.
IATA Deputy Director General Conrad Clifford said:
“The news that airlines operating at Schiphol will lose slots from Summer 2024 confirms our worst fears of the effects of the enforced cut to flight numbers at the airport. This is where the Government’s ill-thought-out plans hit reality: fewer destinations, and less choice, resulting in fewer travellers, lost employment, and reduced investment coming into the Netherlands.
“We cannot allow this situation to be “helaas, pindakaas”. Too much is at stake. Jobs today and the prosperity of the Netherlands in the future will be damaged by this decision. This caretaker Dutch government, lacking any democratic mandate, is setting fire to its own shop. But the EU Commission could and should act in defense of its own Regulations. And this is surely the wake-up call other governments need to remind the Dutch of their responsibilities under international law and bilateral air service agreements. Meanwhile, our appeal to the Cassation court remains to be heard. We hope the court decides swiftly on the legality of the ‘Experimental Regulation’ that is causing this mess.”
