The European Commission said on Monday that it will not pursue punitive action against Schiphol Airport now that it has been decided that US enger airline JetBlue Airways will be able to continue operating from Amsterdam airport. The European Commission said it was pleased with the decision as it protects competition in the transatlantic market, especially on the Amsterdam-New York route.
JetBlue's entry in late 2023 on the Amsterdam-New York and Amsterdam-Boston routes ensured consumers would have more choice and access to transatlantic travel, the European Commission said. However, the initial allocation of slots at Schiphol amid plans to reduce flight movements at the airport threatened JetBlue's continued operations beginning with the opening of the summer travel season in March 2024.
“The Commission was ready to intervene with provisional measures if JetBlue did not guarantee appropriate access to Amsterdam airport for the 2024 summer IATA season,” the European Commission said. This concern stemmed from previous investigations into similar airline partnerships where reduced competition harmed consumers.
Over the past 15 years, the Commission has investigated several t ventures relating to enger flights between Europe and the Americas. These include t ventures with Oneworld Alliance airlines such as American Airlines, British Airways, Finnair and Iberia, the Star Alliance with Air Canada, United Airlines and Lufthansa, and TAJV, a t venture formed by Air 's Skyteam airlines- KLM. Grupo, Alitalia and Delta.
The latter is now known as Blue Skies, which replaced Alitalia with Virgin Atlantic. “The entry of JetBlue has revived competition for the benefit of consumers between the three airlines offering direct transatlantic services at Amsterdam airport, namely: two Blue Skies (KLM and Delta) and United Airlines,” the Commission stated.
The situation was resolved after pressure from the United States and the European Commission. Through new negotiations, JetBlue has secured the slots needed to continue operating through the summer season, ensuring engers will maintain options amid high demand for transatlantic travel.
Even after the Dutch government was forced to pause and reevaluate its plans to reduce air traffic at Schiphol Airport, it still looked like JetBlue might lose its recently gained access to Amsterdam. The airport is the second busiest in the European Union, behind Charles de Gaulle in Paris.
The airline asked the US Department of Transportation to get involved on its behalf, asking Dutch airlines to lose access to US airports in retaliation. Between limits on JetBlue and other U.S.-based airlines, it was estimated that KLM could potentially lose up to 1.135 slots at U.S. airports.
“The Commission will continue to monitor ahead of the 2025 IATA summer season,” the organization stated
Street: UE
