The Dutch government said on Friday that it plans to implement a flight cap to reduce aircraft traffic at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport. Instead of 500,000 flights each year, there will be a maximum of 452,500 flights next year, the government said. This represents a smaller reduction than previously announced. According to these plans, noise is to be reduced by 15% rather than the initial target of 20%. The government had initially planned to cap air traffic at 440,000 aircraft a year. The changes aim to decrease noise levels for residents as well as carbon dioxide emissions. Overnight air traffic is to be restricted but there will be no bans on nighttime take-offs and landings, nor private jets. The Schiphol airport said it supports the proposed changes. 'We are in favour of a new system with noise and environmental limits, in which aviation must become cleaner and quieter,' it wrote in a statement. However, the Dutch airline KLM criticized the decision. 'We find this incomprehensible,' the company said. The noise targets would be better achieved with new aircraft that are 'cleaner, quieter and more economical,' it added. The Dutch government is now waiting for a reaction from the European Commission before making its final decision.
