Municipalities unanimously against Rotterdam The Hague Airport expansion

All municipalities in the region close to Rotterdam The Hague Airport are against an increase in flight movements for the airport. The airport has outlined several possibilities for growth, but the municipalities fear more nuisance for their residents, Omroep West reports.

Rotterdam The Hague Airport needs a new permit on 1 January 2025. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management will decide on it. As part of the process, the airport published its plans for the coming years, including several possibilities for allowing more flight movements.

Various municipalities are critical of the airport’s proposals. They’re particularly critical of the fact that the plans only include possibilities for growth. “From considerations of nuisance experienced and climate protection, growth should not be regarded as a fixed wish,” the municipalities of Zuidplas, Gouda, Waddinxveen, and Krimpenerwaard wrote in a joint statement.

The municipality of Midden-Delfland doesn’t want gains made from quieter and more sustainable aircraft to automatically go to more flights at Rotterdam The Hague Airport. At least some of that should go to local residents. “Where can they still go for peace and space if more and more planes fly over the area?”

Politicians in the municipalities of The Hague and Zuidplas aren’t outright against growth but would also like to see the possibility of fewer flights considered. The VVD in Zuidplas stressed that the primary goal should be to limit noise and nuisance, regardless of whether the airport grows or shrinks.