The new government in the Netherlands has come up with a pared-back plan to cut the flights at Amsterdam Schiphol by 3-5% from November 2025, the start of the 2025-26 winter schedule.
If it comes to fruition, the plan would mean that the airports annual number of flights, currently set at 500000 would be reduced to 475000-485 000. The move to cut flights at Schiphol is a long-running battle, with the motivation being to reduce noise pollution in the vicinity of the airport.
The previous government had tried to cut the number of annual flightsat Schiphol to 460 000 from April 2024, followed by a further cut in 2025. But the plan was dissolvedin November 2023 following opposition from the EU and US regulators, and alegal challenge from airlines.
The new plan still needs to be approved by the European Commission.
The government has also come up with another plan. It proposes that Schiphol differentiates airport charges to incentivise airlines to fly quieter aircraft from the airport during day and night. The airport administration has said it was in discussions with carriers regarding this.
