According to Airline Weekly, airlines may have to cut their schedules in Amsterdam from March 2024 after a Dutch appeals court ruled on July 7 that the Dutch government could limit flights at Schiphol Airport to reduce noise pollution.
The ruling from the Amsterdam Court of Appeals allows the Netherlands government to move forward with plans to reduce aircraft movements at the airport to 460 000 from the current 500 000 cap and eventually, to 440 000 a year.
This comes after KLM CEO Marjan Rintel said last month that the airline was confident in winning the appeal. KLM has proposed a programme to reduce noise without reducing flights, including incentivising use of quieter, new-generation aircraft and implementing new flight approaches to the airport.
KLM said last week that it was disappointed with the ruling but that it was still studying the decision.
Separate from the government’s movement reductions, the Royal Schiphol Group also plans to limit night flights at the airport. Its proposal would ban take-offs from midnight to 06h00 and landings from midnight to 05h00 to reduce carbon emissions.
