As the lower house of the Parliament in the Netherlands pushed through a controversial bill to tax even passengers transiting through Schipol Airport, the national carrier KLM has criticized the move, saying it would have disastrous economic impact on the airline, the airport as well as the aligned businesses.

Future is rather gloomy for Schipol Airport, one of the key European gateways and the home base of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, part of the Air France-KLM Groupe.

Weeks after discussions on higher carbon tax and imposition a cut in the number of flights at Schipol Airport, to cut noise pollution, the Dutch Parliament is now considering imposing a tax on all passengers using the Schipol Airport, even those simply transiting through the biggest airport in northern Europe.

The potential tax was proposed as part of the Netherlands’ climate policy in the Dutch House of Representatives. The motion, which has to be approved by the Senate before it becomes law, called on proceeds from a tax on transfer travelers and private jet passengers be used to lower energy bills for Dutch residents.

The tax, about EUR 50, will have disastrous impact on both KLM and Schipol. According to airport data, about 36 pc of the 40.7 million passengers that passed through Schiphol airport from January through August this year were transiting between flights.

KLM CEO Marjan Rintel was quick to criticise the proposed tax which she said would drive passengers away from the airport and Netherlands. “You stack tax on tax and chase passengers away to airports abroad. That does not ensure cleaner aviation,” Rintel said in her post on LinkedIn.

The potential transit passenger tax is just the latest in a series of setbacks for KLM. Earlier this month, the Dutch government decided to pursue plans to cut the number of aircraft movements at Schiphol from the current 500,000 to 452,500 by next year. The flight caps, the government said, would reduce noise pollution around Schiphol by 20 pc.

‘‘It goes without saying that KLM cannot simply accept a proposal that has such immense consequences for us as a company and for the Netherlands as a whole,’’ the airline said in a statement. For example, ticket prices will increase “already significantly” by EUR 80-100 starting in January due to the increase in the carbon tax and climate measures. 

‘‘This is piling tax on top of tax and driving passengers away to foreign airports,’’ the airline said.