Netherlands aviation threatened by limit to Schiphol flight numbers

The government of the Netherlands has announced annual flight movements at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport will be limited to 440,000. The action is motivated by environmental concerns - particularly the noise impact on those living in the vicinity of the airport - and is expected to take effect in Nov-2023.

The Dutch government's announcement acknowledges the important role played by Schiphol in connecting the Netherlands to the world, thereby contributing to its prosperity. However, the government cited local residents' exposure to noise, and concerns about the airport's impact on their health, the natural environment and the climate.

Schiphol dominates Netherlands aviation, with 86% of all flights to/from/in the country. Other airports are not able to absorb the cut in Schiphol's flight numbers.

Schiphol has warned of major risks to its network, while IATA has called the cut "a throttling of air connectivity" and KLM has warned that the "cut strongly undermines the hub function". According to ACI Europe, "Schiphol is what makes the Netherlands bigger".