Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport Increases Flight Capacity After Noise Reduction Plan Fails

by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 5:45 PM ET, Thu December 21, 2023

In what amounts to an about-face, Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport is increasing the number of flights that will be allowed in 2024, rather than reducing them.

The move comes on the heels of the Dutch government’s announcement in November that it would be scrapping experimental plans to implement flight caps at the busy airport. The abandonment of the proposed flight cap was a blow to groups hoping to address noise and climate change issues.

In a statement posted on its website today, Schiphol airport officials said there is room for 483, 000 flights at Schiphol in 2024. That figure includes providing capacity for 293,000 flights during just the summer season, which runs from March 31 through October 26.

The summer flight allotment is a notable increase from the number of flights that had been approved under the proposed reductions.

“The 293,000 flights for the 2024 summer season are more than the 280,000 flights that Schiphol had previously announced. That number was derived from an annual total of 460,00 flights, as was determined in the experimental scheme,” said the airport’s statement today.

In the calendar year 2023, Schiphol expects a total of around 433,000 flights, meaning it will be allowing far more flights in 2024 at 483,000.

The ramped-up number of flights is being allowed “on the condition that peak times are relieved,” Schiphol said.

"At the request of the minister, we reviewed what was operationally possible after the experimental scheme was taken off the table. More flights are now possible, but this is only safe and responsible provided we reduce pressure on certain peak hours,” Patricia Vitalis, executive director of operations at Royal Schiphol Group, said in a statement.

Busy peak times at Schiphol Airport will require a major effort from the entire aviation sector and the involved government partners to alleviate, according to airport officials.

An independent slot coordinator is expected to discuss with airlines how the number of flights during peak times at the airport can be reduced. The hope is that the reductions will “happen on a voluntary basis, otherwise by way of an obligation from the slot coordinator.”

According to a recent analysis, Schiphol’s peak times include the morning, when many large passenger aircraft arrive simultaneously. The analysis suggests that by lowering the capacity in one of the morning peaks from 68 to 65 arrivals per hour, some of the pressure on the airport could be relieved.

It's been a long road for the experimental plans to cut capacity at the airport, including complaints filed with the courts by airline industry organizations seeking to block the plans. The United States government also objected to the flight reduction plan. Those opposed to the cutbacks had said the move could breach European law and also aviation agreements.

Under the proposal, the Dutch government was seeking to reduce the number of flights to the airport from 500,000 to 460,000.

However, in November, Dutch Minister for Infrastructure and Water, Mark Harbers, penned a letter to lawmakers stating that the first phase of the reduction plan, which was expected to start in 2024, is being scrapped “until further notice.”