One of Europe’s busiest airports to be forced to cut flights due to planet-warming carbon pollution

Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, one of Europe’s busiest aviation hubs, is to be forced to limit the number of international flights and passengers it handles under the Dutch government’s plans to cut carbon emissions — a move that has triggered airline concerns. Dutch officials announced on March 17 that it would impose restrictions on all international flights leaving the Netherlands in order to reach its climate goals. Aviation accounts for around 2-3% of the world’s planet-warming pollution, but a country’s share of those emissions can be quite high, especially for smaller nations that handle a lot of flights. And some have targeted aviation to reduce their overall climate footprint and meet their climate promises. While there have previously been moves within Europe to limit or ban some local and regional short-haul flights to cut carbon emissions, this would be the first environmental measures made against international services. KLM, the Netherland’s flagship carrier, this week expressed concerns over the move. “KLM believes that sustainability policies – due to the global scope of aviation – should be regulated internationally as much as possible,” the company said Wednesday. “Being the only country in the world to set up a national CO2-ceiling does not match with an internationally operating sector and international policy,” it continued. The Dutch transport ministry said in a statement that Schiphol and other affected airports could spread the reductions over multiple years. “The maximum CO2 emissions set for each airport will apply for several years, so that an exceedance in one year can be compensated in subsequent years,” it said. “The policy will help the country meet its carbon goal Further details remain to be decided and the government promises that discussions will include all parties.”<br/>