KLM unveils Schiphol Airport noise plan to avoid mandatory flight cuts

KLM has a new plan to reduce aircraft noise at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport without the mandatory flight cuts proposed by the Dutch government. The carrier’s plan unveiled Thursday includes the rapid adoption of new, quieter planes on flights to and from Schiphol; more efficient approach and departure routes that would allow aircraft to spend less time at lower altitudes; and KLM’s operation of only quieter aircraft at night. In addition, KLM proposed that Schiphol offer lower fees for quieter aircraft and higher fees for noisier ones to encourage other airlines to adjust their operations. If the proposal is adopted by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Infrastructure & Water Management, KLM said it could reduce aircraft noise by 15% at night next year, and by 20% during the day within three years. “It’s a choice between scrapping flights as a short-term solution or aiming for smart improvement,” KLM said Thursday. The plan comes amid a court battle between KLM and other airlines and the Dutch government over proposed flight cuts at Schiphol. The cuts, which the Ministry of Infrastructure & Water Management claims are needed to reduce noise, would see total annual aircraft movements at the airport decrease to 460,000 annually from 500,000 beginning in March 2024, and to 440,000 annually at a later date. The airlines won an initial court challenge in April, and a Dutch court is scheduled to hear the government’s appeal on June 21. IATA DG Willie Walsh earlier in June called the proposed flight reductions a “crude capacity cut” to achieve the government’s noise reduction aims.<br/>