Dutch court rules against plan to cut late-night flights in Amsterdam

By Selman Aksunger

AMSTERDAM (AA) – A Dutch court on Wednesday ruled against a plan to cancel late-night filights in Amsterdam.

As part of efforts to reduce noise pollution and carbon dioxide emissions in the Dutch capital, Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport has announced it intends to all but eliminate late-night flights by the end of 2025.

A court in the city of Haarlem in a statement announced a motion for a stay of execution regarding the decision which intended to decrease the annual number of flights from 500,000 to 460,000, after KLM and other airlines filed a complaint.

According to the court, the government did not follow the necessary rules of procedure.

KLM Airlines in a statement commented on the decision and said: "We would rather cooperate with the other parties than face them in court. (...) With our measures we see a better alternative for achieving less noise and CO2 while meeting travelers' need to fly."

The Schiphol Airport CEO said plans for the airport over the next two years include closing it almost entirely between midnight and 5 a.m., local daily Het Parool reported on Monday.

The airport is also planning to ban noisier airplanes and private jets, the report said.

Following a long-running campaign by environmental groups against noise pollution and carbon dioxide emissions, the Dutch government revealed plans to limit flights to 440,000 annually starting in June 2022.

*Writing by Nur Asena Erturk in Ankara