The extra tax on flying introduced last year has cost Dutch airports 900,000 travellers as people move to cheaper airports in Belgium and Germany, KLM director Peter Hartman said on Tuesday.

Speaking in Brazil while on a visit to the Embraer aircraft builder, Hartman told the Telegraaf that he expected the tax to either be reduced or scrapped when the government finalises its recession-busting measures later this month.
Hartman told the paper that a report to be published shortly will show that the treasury has earned up to €300m from the new tax but that it has cost the Dutch economy €1.2bn.