Schiphol cuts will be less drastic than expected; Over 475,000 flights likely per year

Schiphol Airport will face a cut to the number of annual flight movements allowed there, but the reduction will be less drastic than expected. The current Cabinet wants to see flight movements fall from a maximum of about 500,000 per year down to anywhere from 475,000 to 485,000 annually, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management said on Wednesday.

The new limit will take effect from November 2025 at the start of the winter flying season. That would equate to a cut of 3 to 5 percent at the facility just outside of Amsterdam, which is the second largest airport in the European Union.

The previous Cabinet wanted to cap the number of flight movements at 460,000 to 470,000, which included decreasing the total number of yearly overnight flights from 32,000 to 27,000. The government said last summer that the cut was critical to meet climate change goals, and to fulfil commitments to area residents to reduce noise disruptions, particularly overnight.

Minister Barry Madlener confirmed that the total number of overnight flights will still remain at the previous Cabinet's limit of 27,000. He also noted that airlines have taken their own measures to reduce noise pollution. KLM and Transavia have committed to using quieter aircraft at night, and Schiphol previously announced it will greatly increase fees against airlines that use louder airplanes.

"This package will reduce noise pollution around Schiphol by 17 percent," the ministry said in a statement. This will be the case even as the Cabinet eliminates the plan to briefly pause takeoffs and landings in the afternoon on two runways, the Aalsmeerbaan and Zwanenburgbaan, the ministry said.

The Dutch State owns nearly 70 percent of the airport's parent company, Royal Schiphol Group. It also owns 9.1 percent of the Air France-KLM group, the parent company of KLM, KLM Cityhopper, Transavia and Martinair. KLM and Cityhopper operated nearly 229,000 flights at Schiphol last year, making it the largest passenger airline operating there by far. In third place, Transavia ran another 30,500 flights, about 5,000 fewer than EasyJet.

Back in July, the Supreme Court ruled in the aviation sector's favor, saying that the Dutch government cannot simply slash the number of flight movements without following the European Union's balanced approach procedure. It put the previous Cabinet's plan on hold, which included the cut to 460,000 flights and stricter enforcement of noise regulations.

The new plans will now be handed over to the European Commission, which needs to approve them. After this step, the exact number of flights will be calculated. "More clarity on this calculation is expected in the autumn," the ministry stated.

“I am proud of this package and think that we have found a good balance between the interests of the nearby surroundings and the aviation sector,” said Madlener.

“And the package of measures is not without obligation. The sector has made commitments to achieve these goals, and the sector has also made concrete commitments about that. It will also have consequences if they do not keep their promises.”