Schiphol will be raising its airport fees by an average 37% over the next three years. For cargo flights, the increase may amount to several hundred percent, risking a further shift of flower flights to airports in Belgium.
At the end of October, Schiphol airport announced that it would be raising its airport fees, the rates it charges airlines for the use of the airport. In three years’ time, these fees will increase by 37 percent on average. The average rise will be 41 percent in 2025 and 5 percent in 2026, followed by a 7.5% drop in 2027. For cargo flights, the increase may amount to several hundred percent.
Raising the airport fees can have a major impact on the transport of flowers from Africa to Amsterdam. Around 80 percent of the flowers from Kenya is transported on cargo planes, while the remaining 20 percent travels in the bellies of passenger planes. The cargo planes are typically older, noisier, less fuel-efficient planes, for which airlines must shell out significantly higher airport fees.
