LH Cargo fights Dutch flower ban
20 / 03 / 2015
THE Dutch government is expected to review its controversial ban of Lufthansa flower shipments through Schiphol Airport.
The previous government banned Lufthansa in 2012 from flying flowers from Colombia and Ecuador through the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico to Schiphol. It warned of a €40,000 fine per cargo flight.
Joop Atsma, the then secretary of state for infrastructure and the environment said Lufthansa did not have the necessary bilateral air traffic rights to carry out the flights between the two destinations. Lufthansa Cargo relied on the open skies agreement between the US and the EU as Puerto Rico is part of the US.
The German cargo carrier claimed the Dutch government only wanted to protect the interests of KLM and Martinair at Schiphol. The appeal has subsequently gone through the various legal courts. The government is expected to rule on the ban shortly.
