The village council of Rijsenhout finds Schiphol’s plans to cancel the reservation of the second Kaagbaan runway ‘hopeful’. Last night, airport director Sondag announced that he wanted to ban all night flights and private jets at Schiphol, and that he no longer wanted an extra runway. Because of the reservation, hardly any new homes can be built in Rijsenhout. Residents of Aalsmeer and Uithoorn fear extra nuisance during the day due to the ban on night flights.
Village council chairman Hans van der Meulen from Rijsenhout informs NH News that he is cautiously optimistic about scrapping a second Kaagbaan runway. “I find it encouraging,” says Van der Meulen. “We in Rijsenhout have been used to Schiphol’s growth wishes for decades. This is a trend break, but seeing is believing.”
For Rijsenhout, the reservation of the parallel Kaagbaan runway hangs like a dark cloud over the village. Because construction is hardly allowed due to strict noise regulations, Rijsenhout is aging even faster than other villages in the region. Canceling the reservation offers new perspective for the village.
The article continues below the map.
Worry Uithoorn
Mirella Visser, chair of residents’ organization PUSH Uithoorn and member of the Schiphol Social Council (MRS, formerly Schiphol Environment Council) says she is surprised. “This news comes out of the blue for us,” says Visser. “We were still in consultation with Schiphol.”
The residents’ representatives of the MRS, the aviation sector and the Ministry of Infrastructure are currently still discussing the shrinkage decision and the proposed alternatives which still need to be investigated. With its announcement, Schiphol is an advance on one of those alternatives: no shrinkage, but a ban on night flights, private jets, noisy aircraft and the scrapping of the second Kaagbaan runway.
Noise room
Visser wonders whether canceling night flights is the best solution. 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.
Residents’ group Right to Protection against Aircraft Nuisance (RBV) from Aalsmeer shares that concern. “The ‘noise space’ that is released by less night traffic will be used by the airport for more air traffic in the edges of the night or during the day,” RBV said in a statement.
RBV is pleased that Schiphol wants to take steps towards a healthier living environment: “The intention to no longer allow air traffic between midnight and 5 a.m. means more sleep. The disappearance of the worst ‘noisies’, mostly cargo aircraft, is also a step in the in the right direction. That also applies to banning the completely unnecessary business and private jets.”