The Dutch government will limit Schiphol Airport to 478,000 flights a year, with no more than 27,000 of those taking place at night. That is a 4 percent drop from today's roughly 499,000 flights. Night flights will shrink by 10 percent from the current 30,000. The cap is part of a new Airport Traffic Decree, which a parliamentary majority approved on Tuesday.
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What the New Decree Covers
The decree sets fresh rules for Schiphol on noise, flight numbers, aviation safety, runway use and harmful emissions. It is the first update of its kind in 18 years, so the change has been a long time coming.
The government hopes the cap will cut the nuisance felt by people living near the Netherlands' largest airport by 20 percent over a full 24 hours and by 15 percent at night.
There is some room for growth later, though. If newer, quieter aircraft manage to bring noise levels down, the decree allows for more flights. Infrastructure Minister Vincent Karremens described the task as a balancing act between reducing the burden on local residents and meeting the needs of an open economy that leans heavily on aviation.
Left Wants More Relief, Right Wants More Flights
Even with majority backing, the decree drew criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. Left-wing parties said residents deserve more relief, while right-wing parties wanted room for more flying in the name of the economy.
PRO and PvdD argued that such a modest cut will not ease the noise, sleepless nights and health problems facing the roughly 175,000 people who live near the airport.
"A hundred thousand people are literally being made sick by this," said PvdD MP Ines Kostic. PRO MP Suzanne Kröger went further, calling the small reduction a "slap in the face" .
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