6 Reasons Why Flying From Schiphol Is So Expensive

If you have ever searched for a flight from Amsterdam, squinted, and said, “That can’t be right”; then you’re definitely not alone. Expats throughout the Netherlands are generally shocked the first time they book a flight. Let’s get into the numbers, the politics, and the economics of Schiphol airport.

For this article, we hunted through flight comparison sites, skyscanner.com, and checked flight prices with various airlines. We chose the 7th January as a date and compared the price of flying from Amsterdam to Gran Canaria and Amsterdam to New York, vs the cost of these flights if you were to fly from Berlin, London, and Paris.

You’ve read that right, flying from Amsterdam to Gran Canaria is almost 4 times as expensive as flying from London to Gran Canaria.

Again, on the day we searched, flying from Amsterdam to New York is almost 4.5 times as expensive as flying from London. But why?

1. Airport Fees: The Dutch Like to Have Good Taxes

Originally named Amsterdamsche Veerhaven, Schiphol ranks among the most expensive airports in Europe for airlines to operate. Currently, the charges to airlines were raised from 2025 to 2027, with a 41% increase in 2025 alone. By 2027, airlines would be paying around €15 more per passenger departing than they did in 2024. Obviously, these increases cannot be absorbed by the airlines out of generosity; instead, they are passed on through fares.

Further, under the Dutch Air Passenger Tax Act, an air passenger tax of €29.40 is imposed on each passenger. The tax applies to all passengers departing from Schiphol Airport. It is among the highest airport taxes in Europe. Around €15 of your fare is the air passenger tax and airport fees.

2. Monopolistic Effect: One Airport to Rule Them All

Now to competition, or rather, the absence of it. Amsterdam isn’t alone in the list of cities that only has one airport (Berlin axed Tegel Airport in 2020).

Basically, the Dutch have one big airport, Schiphol Airport, and a few very small regional airports.

But what about Belgium?

If you’re thinking, “Okay, fine, Schiphol’s expensive, I’ll just hop across the border to Belgium,” think again.

Our southern neighbors do have airports, yes, but the flight options are about as limited. Even in the so-called “Tri-State Area” (the Netherlands, Belgium, and a corner of Germany), Belgium’s airports offer fewer departures, fewer airlines, and far fewer routes.

Brussels Airport is the only serious alternative, but even then, it’s no London Heathrow or Paris Charles de Gaulle. It’s got decent reach, but fewer budget carriers, fewer daily departures, and fewer direct flights to smaller European cities. Meanwhile, Antwerp has roughly the same number of weekly flights as your average Ryanair gate in London Stansted before lunch.

In fact, if you wanted to fly directly from Brussels to Glasgow, you actually can’t. If someone needs to travel to or from Belgium from a smaller European city, it’s much easier to fly to Schiphol. There are so many high-speed trains linking this tristate area; some Belgian cities are just under 2 hours from Schiphol train station. This leads to even more demand on the already over-capacity airport, driving up ticket prices.

Schiphol hosts 87% of all flights in the Netherlands. Naturally, when a single airport controls all the slots, all the connections, and all the prestige, it doesn’t need to compete. Simply, fewer airports mean less competition and higher fares.

3. Capacity Crunch: When You Are Too Popular for Your Own Good

Schiphol has become a victim of its success. This is one of the busiest airports in Europe, with 441,963 flights in 2023, and a cap of 478,000 will be imposed from 2025 (noise and environment-related limits). That imposes a literal ceiling on how many flights can take off and land. Prices will inevitably go up when supply is limited but demand is growing.

4. The Infrastructure Hangover

Airports don’t come cheap. Between new terminals, compliance with stricter environmental rules, and further expansions, Schiphol has to fund a lot of shiny infrastructure. In the airport’s own words: Fee increases are implemented to “recover lost revenues during the pandemic” as well as for “sustainability and expansion projects.”

5. Taxes, Levies, and the “Dutch Premium”

We are already well aware of the €29.40 air passenger tax, but that is just the beginning. There are noise levies, too, as well as differentiated slot fees based on aircraft type — meaning older planes pay more. These levies are suitable for the planet (and for your sanity if you reside near a flight path), but not so good for your wallet.

6. The Effect of the Business Traveler

Schiphol is not merely an airport for tourists and expats, but rather a complete global business hub. It serves a higher proportion of premium, business-class, and connecting passengers due to its association with KLM and its status as one of Europe’s top long-haul connection points.

What’s the Solution to Schiphol’s Monopoly?

Schiphol can’t handle every flight. So, what is the solution? Promote Rotterdam and Eindhoven as viable alternatives to Amsterdam?

The Rotterdam/Hague Airport and Eindhoven Airport have both been under strict regulations of environmental and passenger arrivals for some years now. So, the government could gradually liberalise these limits, upgrade terminals, and add new flights.

Also, persuading low-cost airlines such as Ryanair, EasyJet, and Wizz Air to increase their presence at Schiphol would put downward pressure on fares there.

High-speed rail integration could be invested in; quicker rail connecting Schiphol to Rotterdam and Eindhoven more efficiently, it would be unproblematic for the passengers overall and also prevent them from the hassle of long transfers since they would be able to pick the cheaper flights from other cities.

Currently, the slot system at Schiphol is controlled by legacy airlines such as KLM and Air France. The government can open up the space a bit by reforming how slots are allocated—allowing new entrants and budget airlines a fighting chance. This way, it will be possible to prevent the same few players from influencing (and dictating the prices) the market.

Tips for Beating the Schiphol Airport Premium

If you are an expat living in the Netherlands and you would rather have your euros spent on stroopwafels than an airport fee, then you have a few helpful ways to save:

Check alternative airports: Although Eindhoven and Rotterdam are often considered to have fewer flights, always double-check your holiday destination. Other nearby airports, such as Düsseldorf (Germany) and Brussels (Belgium), tend to offer lower fares, even when train fares are included.

Use multi-airport search tools: On Skyscanner or Google Flights, try putting “Netherlands” or “Western Europe” for origin — you might be surprised which airports show up cheaper. Be early (really early). The cheap seats go early. Do not wait for your boss to give you the nod on holiday requests.

Travel on a midweek. Tuesday and Wednesday are two days when your wallet will surely thank you.

Watch for fare breakdowns. See the comparative amounts for each ticket: the tax and the base fare. Sometimes changes to the airline or departure time also affect taxes or fees.

Also, figure out the time-to-money ratio. Sure, or three hours might be €80 cheaper on a direct flight from Düsseldorf, but then you pay a €40 toll and spend those three hours driving: maybe not worth it.

In Summary

Schiphol is expensive because fees and taxes are high, competition is low, capacity is capped, infrastructure is expensive, and business travelers will pay anything for working Wi-Fi. Take all that in, and you have a perfect recipe for exorbitant air fares. It is the other way around in London, where many airports keep budget airlines alive: Stansted, Gatwick, Luton, Heathrow, Southend, and even London City. Paris has Charles de Gaulle for long flights and Orly for cheap flights. That multi-airport structure makes competition possible. Ryanair, EasyJet, Wizz Air— can use one airport to get a better deal with another. And the passengers benefit.