Transavia release a video explaining why Schiphol should stay open at night

Transavia launched a new video campaign this week in an attempt to convince the public that closing Schiphol Airport overnight is a bad idea. The airline, which is currently struggling with the cancellation of flights due to delayed maintenance of their aircraft, used the video to try to explain the drawbacks of such a closure.

The video is in Dutch, and also includes English subtitles. It is not the first time that Transavia has warned of the adverse effects of a ban on overnight takeoffs and landings. The explainer was made because the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, held an important debate about the sustainability of the aviation industry, according to a spokesperson.

There has been a lingering possibility that the airport will not permit aircraft to land between midnight and 5 a.m., with departures forbidden from midnight through 6 a.m. Closing overnight is one way to reduce carbon emissions and to reduce noise complaints caused by airplanes.

“The topic of closing the airport at night has been handled as a one-sided discussion, and that is why we wanted to show that the overnight closure is not a good idea,” the spokesperson said after a report by Luchtvaartnieuws. Passengers traveling with the airline this week received a QR code giving them first access to watch the video.

Transavia claims that an overnight closure will result in noise from passenger airlines moving to immediately before and after the hours where the airport is not operating. The prices of plane tickets will rise due to Transavia being able to fly fewer aircraft and, therefore, sell fewer tickets, the airline stated.

The airline claimed that delayed flights which miss their window to travel to Schiphol would then need to land in Belgium or Germany if they operate during the overnight hours. Transavia added that passengers would then have to take a bus to Schiphol, and the plane would then fly back to the Dutch airport in the morning with no people on board.

The company was in the news recently because it had to cancel more flights this year due to a shortage of available airplanes. This is mainly due to delays in maintenance. The airline announced last month that they would adapt their flight schedule until the end of June.