While perhaps not new, seems this rule is being “newly enforced” - at least by KLM in AMS? But not in, say, Frankfurt?
KLM later told The Independent: “The international transit zone of Schiphol is considered the external border of the Schengen area. This means that the travel document requirements of the Schengen Borders Code and/or the Visa Code apply.
“Passengers travelling via the international transit zone of Schiphol must therefore be in possession of a passport that was issued in the past 10 years and is valid for at least three months after the transfer.
“This is not a recent change in regulations and is based on European regulations, not Dutch. Passengers do not need a full EU passport for transit via Schiphol, but a passport that meets the aforementioned conditions.”
The KLM rule has serious implications for citizens of countries from whom the European Union demands visas. A Turkish person travelling to the UK or a Moroccan flying to Dubai would not be able to transit in Amsterdam unless they have an EU visa.
Frankfurt airport, the main hub for the German national airline Lufthansa, says: “No passport control is required as long as you do not leave the transit area.”