Airlines and associations fight to overturn Schiphol flight cut ruling
27 / 07 / 2023
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Airlines and industry associations will institute cassation proceedings against the judgement of the Amsterdam Court of Appeal to allow a reduction in the number of flights at Schiphol Airport.
Earlier this month, the Court of Appeal overturned a decision to block plans to cut flight departures at the Dutch hub from 500,000 annually to 460,000 from this winter.
The group, which includes airlines KLM, Delta, United and Martinair, and industry bodies Air Cargo Netherlands and Airline for Europe, will ask the Dutch Supreme Court to check the quality of the latest judgement through the cessation proceedings.
“The current judgement by the Amsterdam Court of Appeal creates a lack of clarity and causes uncertainty for passengers and the aviation sector,” the group said in a joint press release.
“This is because it is unclear how the experimental scheme will be applied, how it should be enforced and ultimately how the ruling will affect the number of aircraft movements at Schiphol Airport.
“Moreover, the judgement conflicts with national, European and international regulations. It is in the interests of all parties to obtain clarity.”
In April, a Haarlem court ruled that the government had not been through the proper process before making a decision on the flight cuts.
In order to cut flight numbers, the state must identify various measures that can reduce noise pollution, consult all interested parties, and a reduction in the number of aircraft movements is only allowed if it is clear that other measures to limit noise pollution are insufficient as part of the European Union’s Balanced Approach.
Schiphol is not the only European airport facing flight cuts – proposals in Belgium would see a night flight ban at Brussels.
