KLM Newsroom

Increase in flight tax leads to more travelers choosing foreign airports

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 08:00:00 +0200

Marjan Rintel, CEO of KLM, states: “This flight tax makes the Netherlands the most expensive country in the European Union for air travel, no matter the distance. As a result, even more Dutch travelers are choosing to drive across the border to fly from airports in neighboring countries. This doesn’t help the climate—in fact, it actually undermines our ability to continue investing in cleaner and quieter aviation. The Netherlands is pricing itself out of the market. This puts pressure on our airline network and strikes at the heart of the Netherlands’ global connectivity.”

Leakage effect: travelers opt for foreign airports
A further increase in the flight tax, as announced on Prince's Day (Budget Day) with a projected revenue of around 1.1 billion euros per year from 2027 onward, will make flying from the Netherlands unaffordable for many Dutch travelers. A family with two children already pays €120 in flight tax per trip. In Belgium, the maximum flight tax per ticket is €10, Sweden is abolishing its flight tax, and Germany is even considering reversing its recent increase. Soon, a Dutch family of four will pay €200 in flight tax for a flight to Greece or Turkey. As a result, travelers are turning to airports across the border in Belgium or Germany, where the tax burden is lower.

Marjan Rintel warns for the consequences: “We see that passengers want to keep flying, but they are very price-sensitive. Since the introduction of the flight tax in 2021, the share of Dutch travelers flying from Düsseldorf and Brussels has already increased by 41% and 20%, respectively, between 2019 and 2024. Further increases in ticket prices—whether due to higher flight taxes or increased airport fees—will only accelerate the shift of travelers to airports abroad, such as Brussels and Düsseldorf.”

Flight tax as a driver for sustainability
Currently, the proceeds from the flight tax go back into the national treasury and are not invested in making aviation more sustainable, such as by scaling up and making alternative fuels (SAF) more affordable. This is at odds with the wishes of nearly nine out of ten Dutch people, who believe the tax revenue should be used specifically to make flying more sustainable.

KLM is therefore advocating for a different approach. Marjan Rintel: “We should not keep piling on new taxes and extra costs here in the Netherlands. Instead, we need to invest together in cleaner aviation, for example by supporting alternative fuels (SAF). Right now, not a single cent of the tax revenue is going toward making aviation more sustainable. Families paying hundreds of euros in flight taxes should at least expect their money to actually contribute to lower emissions. Just as the government supports scaling up wind and solar energy or electrification of the vehicle fleet, it should also do more to make SAF production in the Netherlands available and affordable.”

Night flights | KLM Facts

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 10:04:33 +0200

We must seek to strike a balance ensuring good accessibility for the Netherlands, as well as a better living environment for local residents around Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. We have to reduce noise impact during the day and night.

What is paramount is that we must invest in cleaner, quieter, more fuel-efficient aircraft to make a difference sooner during the day and at night. New aircraft are 40-50% quieter than their predecessors, which means they immediately reduce noise impact substantially, as confirmed by data gathered in recent years. That is why KLM is investing €7 billion in aircraft that a cleaner, quieter and more fuel-efficient

→ View the complete infographic (pdf)

Adding economic value | KLM Facts

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 10:04:12 +0200

KLM has been operating out of the Netherlands for more than a century, connecting millions of people worldwide via Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. These connections not only bring cultures together, but also provide transport for life-saving medicines and other essential goods. As an airline, KLM has a responsibility to strike a balance between its operations and its environment. That is why we are investing in cleaner, quieter, more fuel-efficient operations.

→ View the complete infographic (pdf)

Taxes | KLM Facts

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 10:03:50 +0200

The price of an airline ticket already consists largely of taxes and fees. Various countries have introduced an air passenger tax, but these tax revenues revert to airlines there. KLM is in favour of making aviation more sustainable, but when the tax revenues generated by an air passenger tax accrue to the national treasury, that does not help the environment.

National taxes make airfare more expensive for Dutch nationals, who switch to airports in neighbouring countries. Transfer passengers likewise choose another hub for their transfer. This is displacement, not sustainability. Such evasive behaviour increases carbon emissions.

→ View the complete infographic (pdf)

Noise | KLM Facts

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 10:03:13 +0200

More than a century of civil aviation has generated a great deal for the Netherlands in terms of employment, prosperity and beautiful experiences with family and friends. KLM wants to keep making this possible, but we need to do so in balance with our environment. Our plan “Cleaner, Quieter, More Fuel-Efficient” demonstrates how we can reduce noise and CO2 emissions. KLM is seriously committed to this plan, which achieves the government's noise targets by, among other things, renewing our aircraft to ensure that they are substantially quieter and more economical, and by deploying the quietest aircraft at night if possible and by adopting smarter approach and departure routes.

→ View the complete infographic (pdf)