The Schiphol airport authority is putting up its fees 37% over the next three years and that means tickets will become more expensive, airlines say.

By 2027, airlines will have to pay an additional €15 for each departing passenger, thanks to the impact of high inflation and interest rates, the airport authority said on Thursday.  

“This sharp increase in charges is necessary to invest in the desired quality and sustainability at Schiphol, to improve services to airlines and passengers, and to provide decent working conditions for all people working at Schiphol,” said finance chief Robert Carsouw.

“In addition, by making it significantly more expensive or even impossible to fly with noisier aircraft and to fly at night, we are contributing to the reduction of nuisance to our neighbours.”

Schiphol is not allowed to make a profit on airport charges and spends them on keeping Schiphol running and on improving the quality of the airport. Part of the fee hike is to cover losses made during the coronavirus pandemic.

Schiphol said in August it planned to spend €6 million on improving its services for passengers, infrastructure and working conditions for staff over the next five years.

The airport is under both political and legal pressure to reduce the noise nuisance to locals. Staff shortages have also led to calls for measures to cut pressure on the airport’s workforce.

Airlines have reacted with disappointment to the news of the fee hike. “Schiphol will become one of the most expensive airports in Europe,” Marnix Fruitema, chairman of airline industry association Barin, told broadcaster NOS.

“Ticket prices will go up and that concerns us,” he said. “And I am concerned about Schiphol’s competitive position. Customers have the choice and if they don’t want to pay, they will go to Dusseldorf or Brussels. And airlines can make the same choices.”

More expensive tickets will be unavoidable, said KLM chief executive Marjan Rintel. Schiphol is weakening its position as an international hub, she said.