The months-long maintenance of a runway at Schiphol may not be able to start in January. Environmental organization MOB of activist Johan Vollenbroek has lodged an objection with the Ministry of Agriculture today. Schiphol would not have a nitrogen permit for maintenance on the Zwanenburgbaan.
Schiphol wants to start with in January the maintenance of the Zwanenburg runway, one of the airport’s six runways. The first part of the renovation will last until mid-April, after which work on the landing system will continue until the end of June. Schiphol assumes that the Zwanenburgbaan can be used little or not at all for six months.
All this time, air traffic will have to be diverted to other runways at Schiphol, including night flights. These are partly due to the Buitenveldertbaan and Aalsmeerbaan, which are located near densely populated areas.
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To temporarily deviate from the noise regulations, Schiphol must obtain permission from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. It has an internet consultation running until 1 December, where local residents can submit their objections and comments. So far, the online consultation counts more than thousand comments.
Enforce the rules
According to MOB (Mobilization for the Environment) of environmental activist Johan Vollenbroek, the maintenance leads to extra nitrogen emissions. In addition, the closure of the Zwanenburg runway will result in the displacement of nitrogen precipitation in other areas, because the aircraft have to take off and land via other runways. With the enforcement request, MOB wants to force Schiphol to comply with the rules.
‘Schiphol does comply with laws and regulations’
Schiphol believes that the airport complies with the law, a spokesperson told NH News: “Maintenance of runways is necessary so that they are and remain in good condition and travelers can continue to fly safely. We are convinced that we work within the applicable laws and regulations. We await a ruling on the enforcement request.”