KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL, Amsterdam Schiphol) is confident about Brussels' impending review of new measures aimed at reducing nightly noise pollution at Amsterdam Schiphol following the Dutch cabinet's amended plan to cut aircraft movements at the airport to between 475,000 and 485,000 annually.
The airline, in a statement, said this would translate into 5,000 fewer aircraft movements, the deployment of quieter aircraft at night, and the banning of noisy aircraft - measures that are expected to "more than meet" nightly noise targets.
KLM was reacting to the final package of measures announced by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management on September 4, which would reduce noise pollution at Schiphol by 17%. The package will be submitted to the European Commission for review, after which the cabinet will make a final decision before legislating.
In essence, the measures signed off by the new Dutch government coalition under President Dick Schoof seek stricter noise standards that will require airlines to use quieter aircraft at night, with Schiphol imposing higher fees for noisier planes. KLM and its subsidiary Transavia Airlines (HV, Amsterdam Schiphol) have committed to a fleet upgrade by 2025 to reduce noise. KLM introduces the first of four modern A321-200NX aircraft to its fleet on September 16.
The proposed night flight limit will decrease from 32,000 to 27,000. A previous suggestion to rest two runways was dropped due to negative feedback. The exact flight limit is still being recalculated, but the government plans to notify the European Commission of a proposed range of 475,000 to 485,000 flights, with implementation set for November 2025. The previous cabinet assumed that cutting numbers from 470,000 to 460,000 was needed to meet noise targets, but this was revised following detailed information from the sector over the summer.
According to Infrastructure Minister Barry Madlener, the amended package provides "a good balance between the interests of the environment and those of aviation".
The revised measures follow a Dutch Supreme Court ruling that any measure to reduce capacity at Amsterdam Schiphol must comply with a so-called "balanced approach" mandated by the European Union.
KLM emphasised the importance that the "balanced approach" process is completed carefully. "It is positive that a number of measures from the broadly supported 'cleaner, quieter, more efficient' sector plan have been adopted. At the same time, KLM is concerned that the possible loss of historic slots could lead to retaliatory measures from other countries, resulting in the loss of connections important to the Netherlands as an international trading country."
Schiphol welcomed the final proposals as an "important step forward" for certainty and clarity for residents, airlines, and employees. The hub was already discussing differentiated airport charges with airlines to encourage quieter aircraft. It had also proposed a night curfew and shifting holiday flights and private jets to Lelystad, but these were not included in the current measures.
The final proposals follow a 16-month legal battle between the previous Dutch administration under Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the KLM Group backed by IATA after the government decided to reduce Schiphol's capacity from 500,000 to 440,000 flights annually, starting with a temporary cap of 460,000 flights from November 1, 2023, to October 2024.
