The Dutch government announced Friday that it will cut the overall number of flights at Amsterdam Schiphol airport by 4% which is 22,000 flights next year in an attempt to reduce noise pollution.
The present annual limitation of 500,000 flights at Schiphol Airport which is one of Europe’s busiest hubs will be reduced to 478,000 starting in 2025. The government previously stated in September that it would probably lower the limit in order to achieve its goal of a 20% reduction in difficulties for those who live near the airport.
The government stated that the new flight limits should cut noise by 15% and it will later look for ways to lower it by an additional 5%.
The new limit was considered “incomprehensible” by Dutch airline KLM who said that using quieter aircraft would be a more effective means of achieving noise reduction targets than reducing the number of flights. It quoted that “Reduction of flight movements is not an end in itself and is expected to be legally unsustainable. We await the advice of the European Commission.”
The government was asked to reconsider its approach by the Dutch division of the airline group Air France KLM which is the biggest airline at Schiphol and has once again stated its commitment in investing 7 billion euros in quieter aircraft in the upcoming years.
An effort last year made to limit flights to approximately 450,000 failed due to business pressure and the European Union’s objections which stated that the government should first think about other ways to reduce noise.
A Dutch court ruled in March that the government should take further action to reduce noise pollution at Schiphol citing years of neglect for the needs of people who are impacted by the airport noise.
