Aviation sector wants to prevent Schiphol from shrinking with sketchy procedures

The firm wants to drastically reduce the number of flights allowed at Schiphol. The maximum number is now always 500,000 flights per year. This will be reduced to 460,000 flights this winter.

In this way, the government wants to reduce nuisance for residents. The aviation sector must also contract in order to reduce nitrogen emissions.

Stands in court

The KLM group, Delta Air Lines, Corendon, EasyJet and TUI are suing the Dutch government. “It is an unnecessary and harmful decision,” they said in a press release. Shrinkage would be contrary to national, European and international regulations. The companies also say the government has not explored alternatives for sound editing.

fly cleaner

According to the airlines, the reduction in capacity is bad for the Dutch economy. It would also significantly limit travel options and connections for consumers. Plus, the companies say, billions of investments are being made to fly cleaner.

“Unfortunately, we don’t listen to the government. That’s why we are forced to take legal action,” said KLM boss Marjan Rintel.

“The measures do not reward the efforts that have been and are being made by airlines to reduce noise and emissions,” says Arjan Kers, managing director of TUI Netherlands.

“Chased Across the Border”

There are other options, they say, such as faster aircraft refurbishment to reduce noise pollution and emissions. “By shrinking Schiphol, travelers are being driven across the border,” says Corendon.

The cabinet wants to limit flight movements from next winter. Nevertheless, a summary procedure in which a judge makes a quick decision is necessary, explains a KLM spokesperson. “We plan our flights well in advance and now expect 500,000 flights with the other airlines.”

At the beginning of May, slots are normally allocated by the slot coordinator Airport Coordination Netherlands (ACNL). The slot coordinator wants to distribute the shrink evenly between the airlines.

Other Summary Judgment

In addition to this summary, the State will also have to defend the reduction decision in other summary proceedings. The international aviation industry association IATA is working on this with a group of other airlines.

440,000 flights

The cabinet actually wants Schiphol to reduce to 440,000 thefts a year. However, this requires permission from, among others, Europe. This is the so-called balanced approach procedure for combating noise pollution.

In this procedure, the Cabinet must justify why the reduction is necessary to achieve the noise objectives. This is a long procedure with several consultation cycles. The cabinet will therefore not achieve a reduction to 440,000 flights next winter.

460,000 flights is therefore an intermediate stage and, according to the firm, is authorized without having gone through the balanced approach procedure.