The CEO of Air France-KLM has hit out at plans to cap the number of slots at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) later this year. In June 2022, the Dutch Government announced that flights would be limited to 440,000 per year, down 11% from the 500,000 seen in 2019, with the reduction due to be applied from November 2023.

However, according to the group’s CEO, Ben Smith, Air France-KLM had already made plans based on the old forecast, and had invested heavily in newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft as a way of limiting its environmental impact. KLM is by far the largest carrier at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. The planned reduction in available slots may now, however, force the group to rethink its plans.

Speaking to reporters at a company event in Paris earlier today, Smith said,

"You know we have a whole network, a whole fleet plan which is 25 years based on these slots. That’s quite a big hit [they] have given us there.”

A modern, fuel-efficient fleet

Air France-KLM has invested heavily in modernizing its fleet over recent years, and just today announced a further order for four Airbus A350F freighter aircraft for KLM Cargo, and three Airbus A350-900 passenger aircraft for Air France. Smith went on to highlight the aircraft’s greener credentials, saying,

"I am delighted to announce that KLM and Air France's cargo divisions will soon operate the quietest and most advanced full freighter aircraft available on the market.”

Air France already operates 20 of the modern Airbus aircraft, with an average age of just 1.8 years, according to data from ch-aviation.com. Each of the airline’s Airbus A350-900s seats a total of 324 passengers in a three-class configuration – 34 in business class, 24 in premium economy, and 266 in economy class.

Over at KLM, plans are in place to retire the airline’s Airbus A330 fleet by 2025, and replace the aging aircraft with Boeing 787s. According to Smith, flying fuel-efficient aircraft and investing in sustainable aviation fuels are far more effective ways of cutting emissions than simply cutting the number of flights. However, this view is disputed by environmental campaigners, who say that reducing flying is the only way to reduce the damage caused by aviation.

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Avoiding last summer's travel chaos

The flight reduction will not come into effect until November 2023, and until then, Air France-KLM is well-poised to make the most of a busy summer. The group has ramped up its recruitment in recent months to avoid the travel chaos seen over much of last summer, as underlined by Smith, who said,

"I'm quite confident that by this summer we will be able to put into place all the capacity that we had originally planned.”

What do you think of the flight restrictions due to be enforced at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport later this year? Do you agree with the Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith? Share your thoughts by commenting below.

• 

  KLM

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  KL/KLM

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

  Year Founded:

  1919

  Alliance:

  SkyTeam

  Airline Group:

  Air France-KLM

  CEO:

  Marjan Rintel

  Country:

  Netherlands

• 

  Air France

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  AF/AFR

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport

  Year Founded:

  1933

  Alliance:

  SkyTeam

  Airline Group:

  Air France-KLM

  CEO:

  Anne Rigail

  Country:

  France

  Region:

  Europe