Schiphol keeps the Netherlands moving and helps make our small country great. At the same time, we want to do this as quietly and cleanly as possible, with consideration for our local environment. That’s why our goal is to reduce noise nuisance, especially at night.
As of April 2025, new airport charges apply at Schiphol. These include a significant increase in fees for flying at night, particularly for the noisiest aircraft. Night flights have since become about one and a half to two times more expensive.
With this so-called tariff differentiation, we discourage airlines from flying with noisy aircraft or operating at night. This has already had a major impact in a short time. Since the introduction of the new charges, airlines are increasingly choosing quieter aircraft. The share of planes in the quietest categories rose from 20 percent in the period July through September 2024 to 30 percent in the same period a year later.
And what about a complete night closure? The government previously decided, partly based on European regulations, not to implement a night closure. If the government still wants to introduce one, a new Balanced Approach procedure would be required. The European Commission was already critical of the proposed reduction to 478,000 flights, of which 27,000 at night. Restarting this discussion would lead to prolonged uncertainty and is therefore undesirable and risky.
A full night closure would also have a major impact on our airport’s hub function and thus on the international connectivity of the Netherlands. International flights from, for example, the United States would not be able to land directly because they would arrive at Schiphol too early.
In addition, a night closure would have negative effects at other times of the day. For example, the number of flights between 22:00 and 23:00 would increase significantly, and the Aalsmeerbaan and Zwanenburgbaan runways would be used more often. We want nights to be quieter. That’s why we choose certainty and focus on measures we can influence.
In balance with our environment
We expect the number of noisy aircraft to decrease further in the coming years because these planes are becoming increasingly expensive compared to quieter alternatives. By 2027, the loudest aircraft at night will be about seven times more expensive than in 2024. That’s why we will continue to work with the aviation sector toward an airport that is increasingly in balance with its environment.