The Dutch government’s plans to cut the number of flights allowed from Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport have been put on hold following pressure from the US and EU.
Caretaker infrastructure minister Mark Harbers made the announcement in a letter to the Dutch parliament on Tuesday (14 November) with the plan now suspended “until further notice”.
The controversial plans to reduce noise pollution would have forced Schiphol to reduce annual flights from 500,000 per year to 460,000 from April 2024. Further reductions were also planned to 440,000 annual flights by 2025.
“I emphasise that the cabinet is still committed to restoring the balance between Schiphol and its environment," said Harbers in his letter.
"In the eyes of the United States, the
capacity reduction would be unjust, discriminatory and anti-competitive
for airlines."
Harbers also revealed that EU transport commissioner Adina Valean had sent a letter to the Dutch government expressing “serious concerns” about the way the decision had been made to cut flights at Schiphol.
KLM said in a statement that it was “satisfied that the Dutch government has decided to suspend the experimental rule for next year”.
“It is an important step to prevent retaliation and to continue flying to the US. In addition, the European Commission has sent a clear signal to go through a careful legal process according to the balanced approach,” added the airline.
“We have agreed to a number of announced measures, such as the cleaner, quieter and more economical plan, to accelerate the reduction of noise pollution. KLM shares the government’s environmental concerns and is fully committed to reducing its environmental footprint.”
Schiphol said it was “disappointed by the recent developments, as local residents are getting the short end of the stick”.
“Reducing the number of flights is not a goal in itself for us, but the experimental ruling did provide clarity and certainty for local residents,” added the airport in a statement.
US airline JetBlue had been set to lose its recently acquired slots at Schiphol due to the Dutch government’s policy. The carrier had already filed a complaint with the US Department of Transportation (DOT) against the Netherlands and the EU, and had requested that the DOT impose countermeasures on Dutch carrier KLM.