KLM and a group of airlines including Delta, BA, easyJet, TUI and Corendon, have won a court battle against the Dutch government, but Iata has warned that the threat of similar attempts to curb flying activity is still real.
The airlines were fighting the government’s unilateral decision to permanently cut the number of flights at Schiphol Airport from 500 000 per year, to 460 000. The reason for the desired cuts was the reduction of noise pollution.
A reduction in carbon emissions would naturally follow.
The court declared that the government had not followed EU rules, which require that a cap on flights may not be made by a government unless all other measures to limit noise pollution had been considered.
Around the time of the court decision, Schiphol Airport itself announced it would cut back late-night flights, principally those departing between midnight and 05h00.
“This case has been about upholding the law and international obligations. The judge has understood that the Dutch government violated its obligations in shortcutting processes that would bring scrutiny to its desire to cut flight numbers at Schiphol. This decision gives vital stability for this year to the airlines using Schiphol airport and maintains the choice and connectivity passengers value”, said IATA’s Director General Willie Walsh. But he added that the job was not yet done. “The threat of flight cuts at Schiphol remains very real and is still the stated policy of the government. Schiphol Airport themselves yesterday announced night flight cuts without consultation.”
The night flights ban would mean that all commercial and cargo flights departing the airport between midnight and 06h00 would be stopped, and that flights would not be able to land at the airport between midnight and 05h00. The airport plans to start phasing out night flights from November this year.
The airport claims that the ban would prevent ‘severe sleep disturbances’ for those living in the area by over 54%.
Currently, around 10 000 night flights take place at the airport per year.
It is anticipated that the ban will potentially result in an increase in flight prices, as it would mean that airlines need to cut some of their routes.
Meanwhile, Schiphol is also looking to ban private jets from taking off and landing there during certain time periods, and it is also hatching a plan to prohibit certain aircraft that are considered to be outdated and noisy.
Air France-KLM has said that the flight cap mooted by the Dutch government would stand in the way of the introduction of newer aircraft with fewer emissions in which Air France KLM had already invested significantly.
Dutch businesses and citizens have also protested that the capping of Schiphol flights would not curb emissions but would just move the traffic, along with the noise pollution, to other airports, and 84 000 Dutch jobs would be jeopardised in the process.
