Climate Home reported that Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands will permanently reduce the number of flights to reduce noise and improve air pollution. Environmental campaigners described the decision as a "historic breakthrough" that will help reduce emissions from the aviation industry.
The maximum number of flights per year will not exceed 440,000, a 12% decrease compared to before the epidemic.
The Dutch Ministry of Transport stated in a statement on the 24th of last month that from the end of 2023, the maximum number of flights per year at Schiphol Airport, the third largest airport in Europe in terms of passenger traffic, will be limited to 440,000, a decrease of 12% from 2019.
Dutch Transport Minister Mark Harbers said in a statement that the flight cuts were aimed at "strike a balance between the operational status of international airports, the business environment and a healthier living environment."
The Dutch government said Schiphol Airport, which is short-staffed, must slow its growth this year as the country seeks to reduce emissions of pollutants such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides. The Netherlands has already lowered the national speed limit to 100 kilometers per hour to reduce nitrogen pollution.
"This is tough news for the aviation industry, which is still recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic," Hubbs said.
Dutch airline KLM called the move "very damaging" and said it "does not align with Schiphol's vision of being a strong hub." The airport said it supports a "thoughtful approach to connecting the Netherlands with the world, and an increasingly quiet and cleaner Schiphol."
Environmentalists hailed the initiative as a "world first," while the UN Secretary-General also urged aviation to reduce carbon emissions.
Environmental campaigners welcomed the decision, saying the airport recognised that reducing air travel demand was necessary to meet climate goals.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for strengthening international shipping and aviation targets at the source to align with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement.
Aviation, which accounts for 2.1% of global emissions, agreed to set ambitious targets for carbon neutral growth in aviation from 2020 and to establish a carbon offsetting scheme to buy emissions reductions from other industries.
Leo Murray, innovation director at the NGO Possible, told Climate Home that this was a "world first and has huge implications for global climate work."
"Decarbonizing aviation presents significant technical challenges, and progress has been slow to date. It's clear that the world will need to reduce overall flight numbers, at least temporarily, to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement," Murray said. He also believes other airports are unlikely to follow suit, but flight caps reduce the incentive for competitors like London Heathrow Airport to expand.
The Dutch government announced its first flight cap. "Growth thinking is no longer mainstream."
Koenraad Backers, aviation director for the Dutch NGO Nature & Environment, said this is the first time a government has announced a flight cap. "In the past, the aviation industry has always grown, grown, and grown... Tolerance is no longer the prevailing attitude, and the aviation industry needs to abide by the rules."
Greenpeace, which has lobbied Schiphol to reduce flights at the airport, described the move as a "historic breakthrough".
"It's good that the cabinet has realised that Schiphol has been crossing various boundaries for years in terms of noise, nitrogen, ultrafine particles and climate," Dewi Zloch, aviation expert at Greenpeace Netherlands, said in a statement.
Zloch said the reduction was not enough to reduce aviation emissions and that "Schiphol should take the advice and continue to develop a plan that takes the Paris Agreement into account."
Source: Environmental Information Center (https://e-info.org.tw/node/234532)
