Dutch airline KLM announced on Thursday the cancellation of nearly 1% of its European flights over the coming month due to rising kerosene costs. It will offer 80 fewer round trips from its Schiphol base in Amsterdam. KLM justified the move by the financial unviability of these routes while denying any fuel shortage.
Air France-KLM subsidiary KLM stated in a press release that it will reduce its European operations by less than 1%, impacting a limited number of intra-European flights.
"This concerns a limited number of flights within Europe which, due to the rise in kerosene costs, are no longer financially viable," the company explained. It specified there is "no kerosene shortage".
Separately, KLM deplored the Netherlands' announcement of a 2027 increase in the air ticket tax, which will be "more than eight times higher" than the European average. The tax stays at 30 euros for flights under 2000 km, but rises to 48 euros for medium-haul and 72 euros for long-haul. The airline warns that heavier taxation than in neighboring countries could push travelers to other airports.
