Schiphol Drops New Runway; Plans Ban On Private Jets To Reduce Noise

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has issued a proposal to abandon plans to build an extra runway, ban private jets, and tighten limits on night flying to reduce noise—a move that has drawn “astonishment” from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, which has its base there. 

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines said it was “astonished that Schiphol is unilaterally putting forward proposals that will have far-reaching consequences for airlines, without involving the industry parties in this process.” 

“Only through a collaborative, sector-wide approach can the aviation industry achieve a balance between its surroundings and the climate,” the airline added.

The Netherlands government said in June 2022 that it wanted to impose capacity limits on Schiphol under which it would no longer be allowed to exceed the established noise nuisance limits, effectively limiting flight movements to a maximum of 440,000 a year by 2024. That cap compared to a 500,000 existing limit. 

In March, KLM, Delta Air Lines, Corendon, easyJet and TUI said they were joining forces to take legal action against the Dutch government to challenge the move, which they called “incomprehensible.” KLM has previously said the capacity limitation would lead to a reduction in its network. 

In an April 4 statement, Royal Schiphol Group set out plans to ban aircraft takeoffs between midnight and 6 a.m. and landings between midnight and 5 a.m. Additionally, the statement revealed that the airport wants to abandon plans to build a second Kaagbaan runway. And in a blow to business aviation at Schiphol, “private jets and the noisiest aircraft will no longer be welcome.”  

“Schiphol connects the Netherlands with the rest of the world,” Royal Schiphol Group CEO Ruud Sondag said. “We want to keep doing that, but we must do it better. The only way forward is to become quieter and cleaner more rapidly.”  

Setting out its plans, Schiphol said the airport wants a system that focuses on the structural reduction of noise and CO2 emissions in line with the Paris climate agreement—and not on the number of air transport movements—no later than 2025-2026. 

The airport’s night-time closure plan would mean 10,000 fewer night flights each year. Schiphol said it wanted to limit the reallocation of flights to the very start or very end of the night/early morning as much as possible.   

Private Jet Ban

Additionally, Schiphol wants to take a stricter approach to noisier aircraft, gradually tightening existing standards for those that are allowed to take off and land. It also wants to ban private jets and small business aviation, “which causes a disproportionate amount of noise nuisance and CO2 emissions per passenger [around 20 times more CO2 compared to a commercial flight].” 

The airport said about 30-50% of those private jet flights were to leisure destinations such as Cannes, Ibiza and Innsbruck. “Sufficient scheduled services are available to the most popular destinations flown to by private jets,” Schiphol said. “Capacity for social traffic like police and ambulance flights will remain unchanged.” 

General aviation accounted for about 6% of the airport’s 422,000 total aircraft takeoffs and landings in 2022, official statistics show.

The airport said those three measures would apply no later than 2025-2026. “According to current models, the number of people around Schiphol experiencing severe nuisance will fall by approximately 17,500 (16%) and the number of local residents experiencing severe sleep disturbance will fall by approximately 13,000 (54%).” 

Schiphol is also abandoning plans for an additional runway—the parallel Kaagbaan Runway—and is asking the government to revoke the reservation which would have put unnecessary pressure on an already scarce space. The airport is also setting up an environmental fund with the government and plans to make a total of €70 million ($76 million) available by 2030 for investment in innovative construction concepts, home insulation, and area development for an improved living environment.   

To preserve important air cargo activities, Schiphol said it would keep 2.5% of available takeoff and landing slots for cargo. “Due to international slot regulations, cargo flights are currently struggling to keep their slots at Schiphol. Cargo provides relatively high employment opportunities and is valuable for the economy and business climate. However, cargo flights will have to adhere to new, tighter rules for noisier aircraft and the new night closure will also apply to cargo.”   

Working Conditions

The airport also committed to better pay and conditions for employees, following an earlier step of a social agreement reached with unions. The issue of pay and working conditions at Schiphol was thrown into the spotlight in summer 2022 when a shortage of staff led to severe disruption as demand ramped up quickly after the pandemic, leading the airport to launch recruitment initiatives and improve conditions for workers.    

“The focus has been on low costs for too long, and a new approach is needed,” Schiphol said April 4.  

KLM said: “Like Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, we believe that our operations should be in balance with our surroundings and the climate. We would prefer to work with the rest of the aviation industry on developing further measures to reduce CO2 emissions and noise pollution.” 

KLM said that in consultation with the other airlines based at Schiphol, its strategic partner Delta Air Lines, and aviation industry organizations, it would submit its views on the matter to the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management by June 15 at the latest. “Schiphol remains welcome to join these consultations,” KLM said, noting it would revisit Schiphol’s proposals at a later date in the course of the European Union’s Balanced Approach procedure. 

This procedure must be carried out when an EU member state wishes to implement noise-related operating restrictions on an airport with more than 50,000 aircraft movements per year and starts with setting a goal for reducing noise abatement. Measures that can contribute to achieving the noise abatement objective then need to be identified.  

“We have thought about growth but too little about its impact for too long. We need to be sustainable for our employees, the local environment, and the world,” Royal Schiphol Group’s Sondag said. “I realize that our choices may have significant implications for the aviation industry, but they are necessary.”  

Other airline CEOs have previously expressed surprise about the Dutch government’s wish to limit capacity at the airport. When asked about the plans, Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr told the Airlines For Europe (A4E) annual summit March 29, “I grew up near the Dutch border in Germany, and I always looked at the Netherlands as being a trading country, creating wealth from trade, initially with ships, then with airplanes. How such a trading nation can limit mobility I have not understood yet.”