Airlines have criticised the outgoing Dutch government’s decision to press ahead with an enforced reduction in the number of flights permitted at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport.
Dutch transport minister Mark Harbers has confirmed that an annual cap would be imposed at 460,000 flights at Schiphol from summer 2024, which would be further reduced to 452,500 flights from the winter 2024-25 season.
Schiphol currently has a cap of 500,000 flights per year but the government wants to cut these permitted services to reduce noise pollution. The move is subject to receiving approval from the European Commission.
“Aviation can bring the Netherlands a lot that's good, as long as we pay attention to the negative effects for people that live near the airport," said Harbers in a statement.
The decision to proceed with the policy at Schiphol comes despite the Dutch government collapsing in July when prime minister Mark Rutte resigned. The country will go to the polls on 22 November to elect a new government.
KLM called the decision to go ahead with the capacity cuts “incomprehensible”, while Willie Walsh, director general of airlines association IATA vowed that the industry would “continue to fight this decision in the courts”.
Walsh added: “By ramming this action through in its last weeks in office, the caretaker government is hurting the Dutch economy and aviation workers without due consideration of alternatives that could reduce noise without sacrificing livelihoods.
“Our opposition is not about the merits of reducing noise: airlines are determined to do so and have plans and investments in place to that effect.
“This is about ensuring that the lawful internationally agreed process for managing noise is adhered to, so that the benefits of aviation generated by Schiphol can be safeguarded for the people of the Netherlands as a whole.”
Airlines are already taking new legal action to try to prevent the flights cap from being imposed next year after an appeal court in the Netherlands ruled in favour of the government during the summer.
Dutch carrier KLM said in a statement that Harbers was “opting to focus one-sidedly on capacity reduction as a goal in itself”.
“We find this incomprehensible,” said the airline. “This is not about the number of flight movements but about reducing noise. The noise targets can be achieved in a better way that would really benefit local residents, the climate, airlines and the Dutch economy.
“Drastically cutting the number of flight movements at Schiphol isn’t necessary to reduce noise levels.”
KLM’s CEO Marjan Rintel added:“We submitted the cleaner, quieter and more efficient plan. In it, we show that we can achieve the noise reduction targets while maintaining the current number of flight movements, maintaining the connection between the Netherlands as a trading nation and the rest of the world. Nonetheless, the minister remains fixated on capacity reductions.”
Olivier Jankovec, director general of airports association ACI Europe, also criticised the Dutch government for continuing with its policy of reducing flights at Schiphol.
“The caretaker Dutch government has not sufficiently considered proposed alternative measures that would have allowed the stated noise mitigation targets to be achieved without requiring a capacity reduction at Schiphol,” added Jankovec.
“These decisions are about quick political wins ahead of national elections – at the expense of the Dutch economy and jobs. We are calling upon the European Commission to urgently ensure the respect of the balanced approach principles as per EU law.”
The balanced approach refers to the rules and procedures adopted by the EU relating to the introduction of noise-related operating restrictions at airports within the 27 member states.