Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport prevented from reducing flights by Dutch court ruling

Decision is a blow to environmental groups

Schiphol is one of Europe’s busiest airports (REUTERS)

The Dutch government cannot proceed with plans to reduce the number of flights from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport after a judge ruled against the order on 5 April.

In a bid to cut carbon emissions and noise pollution, the government proposed last year that flights from one of Europe’s busiest aviation hubs be cut from 500,000 per year to 460,000 per year.

The move was welcomed by environmentalists but condemned by the Netherlands’ aviation industry, resulting in a case being brought by airlines and civil aviation organisations, led by Dutch flag carrier KLM.

A judge in the city of Haarlem ruled that the Dutch government had not followed correct procedure when it called on Schiphol to reduce flight numbers.

The ruling means that Schiphol “may not reduce the maximum number of flights... to 460,000,” the court in Haarlem said in a statement.

The Netherlands’ aviation ministry said it is now studying the ruling and considering next steps.

It is “striving to find a new balance between the interests of residents and the living environment on the one hand and the economic importance of Schiphol for the Netherlands on the other,” the ministry said in a statement.

Meanwhile, KLM claimed it has plans to offer “a better alternative for achieving less noise and CO2 while meeting travellers’ need to fly.”

The airline said it would explain its approach in the next phase of the case. “This will investigate whether noise levels can be reduced around Schiphol using methods other than those envisaged by the ministry,” said KLM.

The ruling comes shortly after Schiphol Airport proposed a ban on private jets and the loudest planes in a bid to limit pollution and noise.

The proposals, announced on Tuesday by the airport’s boss, also include phasing out all flights between midnight and 5am, and abandoning a project for an additional runway in a push to be more considerate of the environment.

“We have thought about growth but too little about its impact for too long. We need to be sustainable for our employees, the local environment and the world,” said Ruud Sondag, CEO of the Schiphol Group.

“The only way forward is to become quieter and cleaner more rapidly,” Mr Sondag added.

It is hoped the measures will create a “cleaner and better” system for the notoriously busy airport, according to a Schiphol airport statement.

Additional reporting by AP