Schiphol exceeded the sound limit last year near Uithoorn

Schiphol airport exceeded the noise limit last year near Uithoorn, the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) reported on Thursday. The inspectorate is still investigating the cause behind breaking the noise limit and could potentially take "enforcement action" against the airport. An ILT spokesperson could not say during the week what measures this would involve.

The ILT measures the sound in 35 places over the course of an entire day, and measurements are only taken at night at another 25 locations. The measuring point at Uithoorn is a part of the first group and is the only location where the sound limit was exceeded.

At the location near Uithoorn, the noise was 19 percent higher than permitted. ILT noise inspector Kees van Hees said, "Local residents could notice that aircraft were flying overhead more often, or that they are often heavier aircraft." Van Hees said that such violations occurred more often before the coronavirus crisis.

The ILT report is about the period from November 2022 to the end of October last year. Pilots took the wrong departure route on nine occasions in the evening during that time. The airline companies involved have been given warnings.

There was also an incident where an airplane used a landing strip as instructed by air traffic control, but the runway should not have actually been used, writes the ILT. Air traffic control was also issued a warning for this.