KLM Urges Rethink on Schiphol Noise Strategy

Dutch airline KLM has called on the government to revise its noise pollution strategy at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. Rather than cutting flights, KLM suggests encouraging the use of quieter aircraft. A proposed flight cap reduction is pending, but KLM advocates for fleet renewal and tariff differentiation.

Dutch airline KLM on Thursday urged the government to rethink its approach to tackling noise pollution at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, one of Europe's main hubs, suggesting it should promote quieter planes instead of cutting flights.

The government is poised to announce a new flight cap this month, potentially decreasing the annual limit from 500,000 to between 475,000 and 485,000 flights. However, KLM, the largest airline at Schiphol, argues that noise reduction would better be achieved by replacing noisy airplanes with newer models.

KLM CEO Marjan Rintel, in an open letter to Infrastructure Minister Barry Madlener, emphasized that the most significant noise reduction comes from upgrading aircraft. She proposed higher tariffs for older planes to encourage the shift to quieter models, potentially allowing for 5,000 more flights than the ministry's current cap suggests.

Rintel also cautioned about possible retaliatory measures from other countries, including the United States, which could affect KLM's landing rights. KLM plans to invest 7 billion euros ($7.4 billion) into renewing its fleet and would support tariff differentiation.

The government had initially favored a flight limit with the backing of Schiphol and the European Union, but a Dutch court ruling in March demanded greater efforts to address noise concerns, urging a reconsideration of interests previously overlooked.