The Dutch government will appeal against a court decision that nullified Schiphol Airport’s requirement to cut its 2023/24 season flights, according to Belgian news outlet VRT. In June of last year, the Dutch government had decided that, to address the concerns of Dutch people living near the airport, the number of flights through Schiphol Airport hat to be drastically reduced from 500,000 a year to 460,000 in 2023, and to 440,000 in 2024. According to the judge, the government did not fully follow the proper procedure to reach that instruction.
The people living near the airport experience noise pollution and authorities worry about the effects of aviation on their health, nature and the climate, the government announced last year. “I want to offer certainty and perspective to both the aviation sector and local residents,” Infrastructure and Water Management Minister Mark Harbers told Dutch media. “This decision forms the basis for a new balance. It unfortunately contains a difficult message for the aviation sector that is still recovering from the far-reaching consequences of the corona pandemic.”
According to VRT, the airlines at Schiphol Airport went to court “to ensure that the Netherlands remains connected to the rest of the world.” KLM Group, which accounts for 60 percent of flights at Schiphol, found support from IATA, Delta Air Lines, Corendon, easyJet and TUI.
“The government is imposing operational restrictions without investigating workable alternative solutions for noise reduction,” the plaintiffs stated. “It is an unnecessary and harmful decision, which moreover violates national, European and international regulations.”
Carriers have stated that other methods of reducing noise and air pollution are equally feasible, according to Simple Flying Magazine. Those alternatives include more efficient next-generation aircraft. Airlines do not see much benefit in making drastic cuts to flight movements.
EU regulation states that the decision for a reduction may only be taken if all parties have been consulted. It must also be demonstrated that alternative measures to reduce noise pollution cannot achieve the same impact or do not work sufficiently.
The reduction in the number of flights from 500,000 to 440,000 as of November this year is off the table, but the Dutch government has in the meantime started a proper procedure and so it is possible that the reduction will, despite the judge summary proceedings, come into into effect next year.
Schiphol has however announced that it will eliminate all night flights between midnight and 5 a.m. by 2025 and introduce a ban on private jets, as reported by VRT.
