Schiphol wants to ban all night flights, ban private jets and no more noisy cargo planes in two years’ time at the latest. The reservation of the land for the second Kaag runway will be scrapped. Schiphol director Ruud Sondag believes that these measures are necessary for the airport to become quieter and cleaner more quickly.
From 2025, no aircraft should be allowed to take off between 00:00 and 06:00. Landing aircraft are then no longer welcome between 00:00 and 05:00. That would mean that there are 10,000 fewer night flights per year. Schiphol wants to limit the shift to the ‘edges of the night’, i.e. just before midnight or in the early morning.
Measures
Flights by private planes and small business traffic must also come to an end. According to the airport, these flights cause a disproportionate amount of noise pollution and CO2 emissions per passenger. Schiphol will also ask the government to cancel the reservation for the second Kaagbaan. For Rijsenhout, the reservation of the track hangs like a dark cloud over the village. To reduce noise nuisance, Schiphol wants to take a stricter approach to noisy aircraft, especially very old cargo aircraft. The measures will apply no later than 2025-2026.
Not everyone is happy with Schiphol’s intention to scrap night flights. Mirella Visser, chair of residents’ organization PUSH Uithoorn and member of the Schiphol Social Council, says she is surprised. There are fears in Uithoorn that more flights will be flown during the day and that many of those flights will be handled on the nearby Aalsmeerbaan.
What do you think?
Do you live near Schiphol and are you glad that night flights are being canceled so that you can finally get a good night’s sleep? Or are you afraid that the cancellation of night flights will mean more flights during the day?