Schiphol Airport has outlined a set of decisions which it says will lead to “quieter, cleaner and better aviation.”
Prominent amongst these measures is the move to ban private jets and small business aviation, and enforce night-time closures to reduce the airport noise and emissions footprint.
New rules with limits for noise and CO2 emissions
Schiphol says that it 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.
It states that this should come into effect no later than 2025-2026 and that the government should enshrine this system in law.
Night-time closure
Schiphol is proposing a night-time closure for a quieter environment. Under the terms of the proposed curfew, flights would no longer take off between 00:00 and 06:00, and there would be no more landings between 00:00 and 05:00.
This means 10,000 fewer night flights each year. In order to reduce noise, Schiphol wants to take a stricter approach regarding noisier aircraft by gradually tightening existing standards for aircraft that are allowed to take off from and land at Schiphol.
Ban on private jets
To further counter noise and emissions, Schiphol wants a ban on private jets and small business aviation.
According to the airport group, this aviation sector causes a disproportionate amount of noise nuisance and CO2 emissions per passenger (around 20 times more CO2 compared to a commercial flight).
About 30% to 50% of these private jet flights are to holiday destinations like Ibiza, Cannes and Innsbruck. Sufficient scheduled services are available to the most popular destinations flown to by private jets.
The Schiphol Group goes on to state that social traffic like police and ambulance flights will remain unchanged.
According to the Group’s current modelling, 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%).
No additional runway
Schiphol is abandoning plans for an additional runway – the parallel Kaagbaan Runway – and is asking the government to revoke the reservation. Land for this runway has been reserved at Rozenburg, Rijsenhout and Schiphol-Rijk.
This reservation puts unnecessary pressure on the already scare space in the area. For the area to the south-east of Schiphol, efforts are presently underway to implement the “Minder Hinder” (Less Nuisance) programme.
Between now and 2030, Schiphol plans to make a total of €70 million (€10 million per year) available to an environmental fund.
This fund would allow investments can be made in innovative construction concepts, home insulation and area development for an improved living environment.
Safeguarding cargo
Schiphol wants to safeguard cargo by keeping 2.5% of the available take-off and landing slots available for cargo.
Due to international slot regulations, cargo flights are currently struggling to keep their slots at Schiphol. However, cargo flights will have to adhere to new, tighter rules for noisier aircraft and the new night closure will also apply to cargo.
People first
Schiphol close their statement by noting the need to put people first. “Quieter, cleaner and better is not only about CO2, but also about people,” says Royal Schiphol Group.
“Schiphol connects the Netherlands with the rest of the world. We want to keep doing that, but we must do it better. The only way forward is to become quieter and cleaner more rapidly,” noted Ruud Sondag, CEO Royal Schiphol Group.
The Airport’s proposal for movement limitations has recently been challenged by a collective of airlines.
