Court to rule on injunction against Dutch State over Schiphol contraction plan

The Dutch State must defend plans to reduce the number of flight movements at Schiphol Airport during a hearing at the district court in Haarlem on Tuesday. Airlines and tour operators have filed a lawsuit against the plan to reduce the number of annual flights from 500,000 to 460,000, in part because of long-term investments they have made based on prior commitments from the government. The KLM Group took the lead in requesting an injunction to stop the plan.

The company, which also includes Transavia, Martinair and KLM Cityhopper, accounts for 60 percent of aviation activity at Schiphol. TUI, Corendon, KLM partner Delta Air Lines and the British budget airline EasyJet have also joined the initiative. The airlines want the government to first look for less drastic ways to limit noise disturbance and pollution, and claim that this must also be done according to international agreements.

KLM CEO Marjan Rintel previously said that she "embraces" the objectives for a reduction in noise and emissions. She argued that investment in newer aircraft and the increased use of more sustainable aviation fuel will lead to a better result “while the network of 170 destinations worldwide can be maintained.” However, those plans were rejected by the State, which prompted KLM to go to court.

The association representing airlines that operate in the Netherlands, BARIN, also supports the court proceedings, as do the associations Airlines for Europe (A4E) and the European Regions Airline Association (ERA). The international aviation industry association, IATA, together with a group of other airlines, also announced their own court case, but the two cases have since been merged.

The government also has the support of a group of residents living in the vicinity of Schiphol, united in the Right to Protection Against Aircraft Nuisance Foundation (RBV). The court has registered them as an interested party with regard to this case. They support the State and the plan to reduce the number of flights.