Rotterdam politicians divided about airport's plans for growth

There is a division within the Rotterdam City Council regarding the plans to grow Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTHA). The airport wants to increase the number of passengers using the airport by one million per year. “Good for the economy,” said two of the coalition parties. The opposition disagrees. “The interests of nearby residents, many of which have complained about pollution, are being ignored again,” said the nine parties that oppose the plans.

The opposition feel that the increase in the number of passengers is “completely unachievable within the current sound space. Bigger aircrafts produce more sound. The existing laws and regulations do not allow for any growth and we have spoken out against the growth in the past.”

The parties added that if the airport were now given space to grow after all it would look like improper governance from the municipality. Many plans for housing construction in and around Rotterdam would also be complicated due to the location of the airport.

Coalition parties VVD and Leefbaar Rotterdam do not think the increase in passengers will automatically lead to more nuisance and pollution. “This is due to the use of larger and cleaner aircraft and the elimination of noisy aircraft," they said.

A majority of the Rotterdam population is in favor of keeping the airport open. Six in ten of the people asked in 2023 indicated the necessity of a nearby airport.

There is also a split within the coalition, which exists out of Leefbaar Rotterdam, VVD, D66, and DENK. D66 think that the RTHA’s plans go against the municipalities plans to block any potential growth, pollution, and to leave space for new housing plans near the airport.

The alderman responsible for this, Pascal Lansink-Bastemeijer, supported D66 in their concerns. “We are not going to change our view on the airport," he promised.

Around 2.3 million passengers are expected to use RTHA this year. They claim that the plans for an increase are not a million extra passengers. A spokesperson has said that the airport strives for a gradual increase of half a million people at most to 2.8 million people a year by 2035, but it is not confirmed that this number will be reached.

"Growth must be achieved with larger aircraft without increasing the number of aircraft movements or noise pollution," the spokeswoman said.