KLM threatened with fines of up to €100,000 for violating overnight rules at Schiphol

Dutch airline KLM was given a final warning for not adhering to flight departure rules meant to prevent unnecessary noise disturbances during overnight hours. The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) said on Monday that the airline will be subject to penalties of anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000 euros for each subsequent infraction.

The ILT accused KLM of violating departure route rules for a third time within a year, most recently in March. The first violation took place on June 2023, and the second came on January 2024.

In each of the three cases, an aircraft deviated from an approved route without receiving a specific instruction from air traffic control to do so. The decisions also were not due to meteorological conditions. "Different flight routes apply at night than during the day, which cause less nuisance," the ILT noted.

The ILT's aviation division has a mandate to protect those who live near Schiphol Airport, said division leader Karin Visser. "The risk of sleep disturbance is greatest at night, which can lead to health damage. In order to protect residents against this at night, it is very important that the least noisy departure routes are flown," she said in a statement.

"KLM unnecessarily caused additional nuisance to residents by flying a day route at night three times.” Should KLM more regularly violate the overnight flight regulation, the airline can be subjected to fines of over 100,000 euros.

Last month, KLM said it would begin replacing its Boeing 737 aircraft with Airbus A321neo units for shorter flights. The airline plans to invest seven billion euros in a new flight, in part to make their available equipment cleaner and quieter.