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KLM has so far had to pay 5,000 euros in fines to the Inspection Environment and Transport (ILT) due to the unauthorized use of polluting auxiliary engines at Schiphol. Delta Airlines also had to pay a fine for this reason.
This is written by the ILT in its half-yearly report, which former minister Tieman (Infrastructure and Water Management) has submitted to the House of Representatives.managed.
The so-called penalty payment, a fine imposed when someone does not comply with the rules, was imposed by the ILT in October 2023. For each time the motor is used without authorization, 2,500 euros must be paid – up to a maximum of 50,000 euros.
Two times wrong
The fine has been imposed twice so far on KLM, says Joyce Mooring, spokesperson for ILT. The penalty remains in force, and according to her, it is mainly intended to prevent the situation from going wrong again. Delta Airlines received the fine once and paid 2,500 euros.
An airplane requires energy even when it is stationary on a airport ramp. For example, for electricity and air conditioning on board. The onboard auxiliary power unit (APU) is often used for this, but it runs onpolluting kerosene.
Schiphol offers an increasing number of cleaner alternatives. For example, there is an installation for the air conditioning, a fixed power connection, and a mobile power supply. If airplanes are stationary for a long time, they can use these.
You often use
The auxiliary motor may sometimes be used, such as just before departure or after arrival. However, KLM and Delta used the auxiliary motors too often and had previously received a warning for this.
Other companies also violate the rules, although ILT also sees improvement in this regard. British Airways and Pegasus Airlines received warnings for these violations, but not yet fines.
KLM said in a response to RTL Z that there have been two incidents in 2024 where ‘the guidelines of the ILT were not properly followed.’ There are currently no other penalty payments, according to KLM.
“We are maximizing the use of ground power to further reduce APU usage. For example, with new taxi procedures where the APU remains completely off,” said a company spokesperson.
Noise pollution
The ILT points out in the report that for this year, ‘so far’ no standards are being exceeded for ‘the maximum number of flights, emissions of air pollutants, noise and environmental safety (external safety)’.
The authority warns that noise standards may be exceeded at two measurement points if Schiphol continues to operate at the current pace. Specifically, it concerns a point north of the Buitenveldert runway and near Uithoorn-Aalsmeer. For the latter, an exceedance is threatening for the third consecutive year, according to ILT.
More flight movements
ILT reported halfway through the year more than 232,000 flights (a sum of takeoffs and landings), about 2 percent more than in the same period in 2024 and slightly more than the number of flights expected by Schiphol.
On a flight from São Paulo to Amsterdam, a power bank caught fire. KLM staff had to extinguish the charger, as seen in this video.