Airlines are launching a legal challenge to the Dutch government’s plan to “unilaterally” reduce capacity from Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport.
The Netherlands hub has been told it must limit flights at 460,000 for the 12 months ending in September 2024, as part of the Dutch government’s plan to reduce the number of flights to reduce noise and air pollution, with a further reduction to 440,000 flights per year also planned.
But several airlines, including KLM, Delta Air Lines and easyJet, have joined forces to “challenge the government’s unilateral decision” to cut the number of flights from Schiphol.
The carriers said reducing Schiphol’s capacity from 500,000 to 460,000 flights per year was “incomprehensible”, and would “negatively impact” the country’s economy and “significantly reduce travel options and connectivity for consumers”.
They also assert that the government’s decision to limit flights “violates” national, European and international laws, and is also “unnecessary and damaging” as the airline industry is already achieving “significant results” in reducing CO2 emissions and noise levels.
Marjan Rintel, CEO of KLM, said: “We are embracing the targets set for reducing noise levels and CO2 emissions, investing billions in fleet renewal and SAF (sustainable aviation fuel) procurement that will ultimately supersede these targets while maintaining our network that serves 170 destinations worldwide.
“This is good news for the millions of people who fly from the Netherlands with KLM every year. As the government appears not to hear our call, unfortunately we find ourselves compelled to take legal action.”
EasyJet’s country manager William Vet added: “By choosing to pursue an arbitrary flight cap the Dutch government totally disregards both the efforts made by the industry to decarbonise as well as the socio-economic benefits of aviation, significantly reducing connectivity.”
Airlines association IATA claimed that the Dutch government’s decision to reduce Schiphol’s flights contravenes EU Regulation 598/2014 on noise-related operating restrictions at EU airports, as well as the Chicago Convention international agreement on air travel.
IATA added that the government had undertaken “no meaningful consultation” with the industry and that flight reductions were being imposed as a “first resort, rather than a last resort”.
“The job-destroying hostile approach to aviation that the Dutch government has chosen is a totally disproportionate response to managing noise,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general.
“The government has even refused to engage in meaningful consultations and made flight reductions the goal, rather than working with industry to meet noise and emissions reduction goals while restoring employment and revitalising the post-pandemic economy.
“The dangerous precedent that this illegal approach creates left no choice but to challenge them in court.”
Last month, Schiphol said that the reduction from 500,000 to 460,000 flights per year was a “necessary intermediate step” as part of its commitment to reduce noise and emissions. It also called on the government to produce a “new Airport Traffic Decree containing hard environmental limits” as soon as possible.