Airline industry group the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has expressed “disappointment” with the decision of the Dutch Appeal Court to overturn the recent court decision in the Netherlands which had blocked the Dutch Government’s move to reduce capacity at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.
While the future of the current Dutch government is, itself, up in the air, after the ruling coalition’s collapse over immigration policy disagreements, the Appeal Court decision technically, for now anyway, places the flight limitation plan back on the table.
Schiphol has been wanting to limit flights to 460,000 per year from November; with night flights and private jets also banned on noise pollution and climate action grounds.
In April, the Dutch courts upheld legal challenges lodged by IATA; its US counterpart Airlines for America; Dutch carrier KLM and other airlines including Lufthansa, Vueling, British Airways, Air Canada, United Airlines, JetBlue; and cargo carrier FedEx.
IATA said the plan to limit flights goes against the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) Balanced Approach agreement, and – therefore – European Law.
“This is a disappointing outcome for travellers, shippers, the Dutch economy, and airlines. As we examine the ruling and its complexities, we seek clarity from the Dutch Government on its intentions. The full impact of this decision on the planned capacity cuts is unclear and there are no established international processes for such a retrograde exercise. We also urge the European Commission to defend its laws and air service agreements. And most importantly, we continue to ask the Dutch government to revert to the Balanced Approach which is the most effective and only internationally accepted means of dealing with the noise concerns of the local community,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
