Dutch government to appeal against court’s ruling on Schiphol flights
13 / 04 / 2023
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The battle over flight limits at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is heating up with the Dutch government planning to appeal a court ruling that protects the airport’s current operations.
The Dutch minister of infrastructure and water management has confirmed that the government is to appeal against the ruling on April 5 of a preliminary relief judge of the District Court of Noord-Holland in favour of a number of players in the aviation industry against the state.
In February, the Dutch government announced that it would reduce Schiphol’s capacity from 500,000 to 460,000 flight annual movements, with the ultimate goal of reducing flight movements through the gateway to 440,000 by 2024.
In response, the KLM Group, Delta Air Lines, Corendon, easyJet, TUI and IATA launched a legal challenge against the Dutch government’s plans.
And the Haarlem court agreed, blocking the move to limit flights through the airport, ruling that that the government had not been through proper and careful processes before making a decision.
By not doing so, the state acted in violation of an EU Noise Ordinance, according to the court.
In order to cut flight numbers, the state must identify various measures that can reduce noise pollution and consult all interested parties, it asserted, also noting that a reduction in the number of aircraft movements can only be allowed if it is clear that other measures to limit noise pollution will be insufficient.
The ruling only applies to the temporary reduction due to take place in the winter.
However, the Dutch government is now to appeal, saying that the ruling is not in the interest of people living near Schiphol.
