The Dutch government has reignited its push to reduce capacity at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport following a new proposal to limit night flights and certain aircraft by 2025.
In a May 24 letter to parliament, Dutch infrastructure minister Mark Harbers proposed a revised package of measures to reduce noise pollution at the Netherlands hub that included limiting the number of night flights in 2025 to 27,000 from 32,000 and banning the loudest aircraft, such as the Boeing 747-400, from operating between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
The move follows a previous attempt by the Dutch government to cut capacity at Schiphol by 20 percent. After much international scrutiny, the controversial plan was eventually dropped last November.
In March, however, a local court ordered the government to take further action to reduce noise at the airport following a compliant by nearby residents.
Netherlands flag carrier KLM has criticized the government’s latest proposal, labelling it “harmful and not proportionate.”
“This [package] includes the proposed blanket ban on certain aircraft types from 2025, without giving our industry time to seek suitable alternatives,” the carrier said in a statement.
“This means there’s a focus on shrinkage, instead of seeking a balanced approach to reducing noise impact. This ignores potential consequences such as countermeasures for Dutch airlines abroad, legal feasibility and damage to the Netherlands as a trading nation.”
The carrier said the government’s noise reduction target can be achieved without “drastically” reducing the number of flights at Schiphol and pointed to its fleet renewal plans with quieter aircraft as well as a previous proposal for higher airport fees for noisy aircraft.
KLM added that it would “carefully examine” the proposed measures before presenting its “vision” in more detail.
Originally published by BTN Europe.
