March 14, 2016
Competition watchdog Authority for Consumers and Markets launched an investigation into the relationship between Schiphol and airline KLM. The ACM will investigate whether KLM’s many financial and organizational advantages at the airport does not lead to unfair competition with other airlines, Trouw reports.
“KLM has a privileged position in the belief that it keeps the network quality of Schiphol up to standard. We are now investigating whether KLM does not also have advantages that are necessary to keep the network quality good. We do this by asking all the players involved which contacts and appointments there are with Schiphol”, Chris Fonteijn, chairmen of the ACM, said to the newspaper.
According to Fonteijn, there were a number of complaints from KLM’s competitors about this matter. The ACM believes that the network quality – good access to the rest of the world – is important for the airport. But this does not mean that there can not also be fair competition. “We are looking at where the boundaries are.” (By Janene Pieters)