KLM has dropped plans to fly to three destinations in the United States this winter after the Netherlands designated the country as a “very high-risk area”.
The Dutch flag carrier said on September 3, 2021, that it was removing proposed flights from Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) to Orlando (MCO), Miami (MIA), and Las Vegas (LAS).
It planned to fly the routes during the winter schedule, which runs from October 31, 2021, to March 26, 2022.
“The decision by the Dutch government is a big step backwards for KLM,” it said in a statement.
The Dutch decision comes days after the European Union removed the U.S. from its safe travel list, prompting its member states to review their own entry requirements.
Designating the U.S. as a “very high risk area” means that only fully vaccinated travelers and those exempt from the EU travel ban will be allowed into the Netherlands. They will also have to show a negative test result and undergo a 10 day quarantine, the Dutch government said on September 3, 2021.
The new entry requirements are being introduced in stages from September 4 to September 6 2021.
KLM said health and fighting COVID-19 were paramount but that the measures taken should be “effective and proportionate”.
“It looks like other EU member states, such as Italy, France and Belgium are not putting a triple lock on the door for travelers from the US,” KLM added.