Amsterdam Schiphol Airport has announced a “temporary discount” of 10 per cent to its airport charges due to the “sharp” rise in jet fuel prices since the outbreak of the Iran war.
The Netherlands hub said that the reduction in its charges would apply from 27 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. The discount will only be applicable to daytime departures as Schiphol said it wanted to continue to “discourage flying at night”.
“The airport is taking this measure because airlines’ costs have risen unexpectedly and sharply as a result of high kerosene prices,” explained Schiphol in a statement. “Especially in the current geopolitical situation, it is important to keep the Netherlands connected to the rest of the world and to ensure that essential flights can continue to operate.”
The price and availability of jet fuel is becoming a significant worry for the European aviation sector, with airports association ACI Europe warning of a potential shortage in the coming weeks.
Schiphol’s decision to temporarily cut its charges by 10 per cent comes after the airport scrapped an originally planned 5 per cent rise in 2026. Although, Schiphol did increase the charges by a massive 41 per cent last year.
“The discount will have a temporary negative effect on Schiphol’s financial results,” added the airport. “However, this will not affect investments planned for the next 10 years, as the measure is temporary. Schiphol remains financially robust and continuously seeks the right balance between operating costs, charges, loans and investments.”
Schiphol has previously announced an investment programme of €10 billion, which is designed to deliver improvements over the next decade.
The Netherlands government’s imposition of a cap of 478,000 annual flights at Schiphol is now in doubt following a decision by the Dutch Supreme Court in March. The court ruled that the proposal had not been “properly motivated” and failed to consider that different types of aircraft produced different noise levels. But media reports suggest the government may seek to maintain the 478,000 cap as part of a wider overhaul of Schiphol’s regulations.