Dutch airline KLM urges government to rethink Schiphol flight cap

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, saying it should promote quieter planes rather than cutting flights. The government is expected to announce a new flight cap for Schiphol this month, after indicating in September it would likely allow 475,000 to 485,000 flights annually, down from the current cap of 500,000. But the Dutch arm of airline group Air France KLM, the largest airline at Schiphol, said noise reduction would be better achieved by making sure airlines replace noisy airplanes with newer ones. "Your ministry seems to be steering towards shrinkage, while this is not necessary to achieve the noise goal," KLM CEO Marjan Rintel said in an open letter to infrastructure minister Barry Madlener published on Thursday. The greatest contribution to reducing noise pollution comes from replacing older aircraft with new, quieter planes."<br/>Rintel said higher tariffs for older planes could push airlines to use newer ones, adding room for 5,000 more flights than the ministry's current model assumes. She also warned about potential retaliation from the United States and other countries if their carriers lose slots at Schiphol, meaning KLM loses landing rights in those countries.<br/>