Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport is facing a significant reduction in its operations following a ruling by the Amsterdam Court of Appeal.
The Dutch government has won a legal battle to reduce the number of flights at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, in a blow to the airline industry which fought against the rare attempt to curb air traffic on environmental grounds.
An appeals court on Friday ruled that The Hague can reduce the number of flights at the airport between the end of the year and October 2024, over-ruling a local court.
The move is the most drastic yet in the EU to tackle noise and pollution caused by the aviation industry, and was challenged by carriers including KLM, easyJet, Tui and Delta.
The government is seeking to reduce flight numbers from 500,000 to 460,000 a year at one of Europe’s busiest hubs.
In a statement, KLM said it was disappointed by the ruling and was studying it.
