Low-fare carrier JetBlue has been denied slots by Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport for the 2024 summer season due to a huge reduction in slot availability.
The carrier, along with other new entrants to the airport, is at the mercy of the Dutch government’s strict environmental policy as Schiphol moves to limit flight capacity to reduce noise pollution and traffic.
The cuts on flights would reduce capacity by 12,400 from 500,000 to 452,000 a year. The move is unpopular with airlines, including its flag carrier, KLM.
JetBlue, which launched its Amsterdam route in August 2022, has since asked the US government and its Department of Transport (DOT) to pursue countermeasures after being denied slots for 2024. It has since approved JetBlue’s complaints, alongside that of trade group Airlines of America, against the Dutch government and the EU.
Notably, this is not the first time JetBlue’s request for slots has been denied. It filed a complaint to the DOT in February 2023, and its request was only lifted in March as temporary slots were given for its winter 2023-2024 schedule.
The fight for JetBlue, amongst other airlines, to secure slots is ongoing. First reported by Reuters, retaliatory countermeasures could include the DOT restricting KLM flights at JFK Airport – a move which would surely exacerbate relations between the US and EU.
In a statement, the airline said:
“New entrants such as JetBlue are facing a completely closed market and 100% expulsion from the market. This is not a fair or proportional outcome despite Dutch government assurances otherwise.”
