On Wednesday 4 September, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management presented the final package of measures to reduce noise around Schiphol and restore the legal protection of local residents.
\nWith this package, noise pollution around Schiphol will be reduced by 17%.
\n“I am proud of this package and think that we have a good balance between the interests of the environment and those of aviation,” says Minister Barry Madlener (I&W).
\nThe new package will be submitted to the European Commission for an opinion.
\nAfter that, the government can take a final decision on the package of measures and lay them down in regulations.
\nStricter noise standards will be introduced at night, which means that airlines will have to deploy quieter aircraft during those hours.
\nIn addition, KLM has promised to deploy quieter aircraft at night.
\nSchiphol will charge significantly higher fares to airlines that use noisy aircraft.
\nFor example, the use of the quietest aircraft is encouraged at the airport.
\nKLM and Transavia are also committed to rapid fleet renewal by 2025.
\nThese new aircraft make less noise, which results in noise gains for the surrounding area.
\nA rest period on 2 lanes was one of the proposed measures in the package, but it has been scrapped.
\nBoth the sector and local residents reacted negatively to this proposal.
\nThe maximum number of flights allowed at night will increase from 32,000 to 27,000.
\nBefore the summer, the previous government assumed that a reduction to 460,000 to 470,000 was needed to achieve the noise target.
\nBut based on, among other things, more detailed information provided by the sector in the summer, it seems that the effects of some measures are greater than expected.
\nThe exact amount of the maximum number of flights is currently being calculated.
\nMore clarity on this audit is expected in the autumn.
\nAt the same time, the government wants to take the next step by officially notifying the European Commission of this package.
\nThis is important because of the intended introduction of the measures by November 2025.
\nIn the notification, the government maintains a bandwidth in the number of flight movements of 475,000 to 485,000.
\nChecking the calculations may still lead to a different outcome. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"