This year, 500,000 flights may travel through Schiphol. “Almost half of those flights – 220,000 flights – go over North Holland. Aircraft to and from the Zwanenburgbaan fly over my home at an altitude of about 900 meters. And via the Polderbaan the planes pass by at an altitude of 600 meters.”
“There are five to six peak moments per day, and that starts at half past six in the morning and is spread throughout the day until eleven in the evening. The busier it is, the further north the planes fly in to depart from the North Sea, make a bend over the dune area and then head to the airport ‘via the A9’.”
Calm with north wind
“And we are still being kept on a tight leash. The contraction has already been adjusted to one for next year reduction of only fifteen percent instead of twenty.”
Hugo and his fellow villagers seem to be condemned to the airplane noise. “Or it must always be a north wind,” he laughs. “It was like that recently for four days, then it is paradise here.”
Quieter planes could provide a solution. Because nothing has (yet) been changed in the flight heights above Heiloo or the number of night flights. That became clear during one council information evening in Heiloo about air traffic last November.
“Do I still sleep well? Yes, with the windows closed and earplugs in. As long as Minister Madlener continues to facilitate airlines that want to go back and forth to Crete, for example, four times a day, little will change. A night closure is fine, but then You have to take it for granted that you can no longer fly to Ibiza for six euros.”
However, there are also bright spots this year:
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