JetBlue Airways, a U.S. airline, has requested the U.S. Department of Transportation to prohibit KLM, Air France's subsidiary, from operating at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. This request is contingent on the implementation of proposed restrictions at Schiphol Airport, which JetBlue argues are in violation of the U.S.-EU Air Transport Agreement.
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The Dutch government announced last month its intention to limit the number of flights at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport next year as a noise reduction measure. This decision has been met with strong opposition from KLM and various airline industry groups. The proposed cap is set at 452,500 flights annually, nearly 10% less than the 2019 levels and lower than an earlier proposal of 460,000 flights.
JetBlue expressed concern that if the Dutch Government is permitted to effectively exclude JetBlue from Amsterdam without any significant and proportional countermeasures from the Department, it could set a precedent for other governments to do the same. In September, JetBlue lodged a complaint against the Netherlands and the European Union with the U.S. government over this issue.
KLM warned the Dutch government about potential retaliation on Tuesday, stating that this move is detrimental to KLM and jeopardizes the network that links the Netherlands with the rest of the world. A Dutch government spokesperson clarified on Tuesday that their decision regarding Schiphol will not affect the number of available airline traffic rights as stipulated in the EU-US Open Skies aviation treaty. They added that airlines will be notified on November 2 about how many slots they need to reduce for the summer season of 2024. This could mean that some airlines, including JetBlue, may not receive slots for the 2024 summer season.
