Fewer flight movements and less space for private jets at Schiphol from 31 March 2024. That is what is stated in the capacity declaration for the 2024 summer season that we adopted on Thursday 28 September 2023. In this article you can read exactly how that works.
Published on: 29 September 2023
Firstly, let's explain what a capacity declaration is. Schiphol has a maximum number of flight movements. However, the number of flights we can actually handle is often lower. The government has included this in legislation and regulations. Based on this maximum, we set the capacity for the following (summer or winter) season in the capacity declaration every six months. We do this in consultation with the airlines.
Fewer flights
This capacity declaration is different than usual. It states that there is room for a maximum of 280,465 flights in the coming summer season (which runs from 31 March to 26 October), about 12,400 fewer than in the summer of 2023. This is due to the government’s decision that Schiphol must shrink. This cannot be done just like that, which is why the experimental scheme was created. This scheme specifies a maximum of 460,000 flights, so we have taken this into account in our declaration for next summer.
Fewer private flights
What also stands out is that the share of so-called small business traffic (which includes private flights) is down by around by 40 percent. For the entire operating year, we have capacity for a maximum of 12,000 of these flights, of which more than 7,200 in the summer season. In the previous operating year, there were 17,000 flights. This development, which is also a result of the experimental scheme, is in line with our aim to eventually ban private flights to and from Schiphol.
Noisy aircraft
In terms of keeping out the noisiest aircraft, we are continuing our policy. The new capacity declaration lists 87 aircraft types that are no longer welcome at Schiphol. These aircraft were no longer flying to or from our airport anyway, but by explicitly banning them in the declaration, we are preventing them from ever returning in the future. We also encourage flying with quieter aircraft by way of airport charges. Airlines that come to Schiphol with noisy and polluting aircraft pay five times more than when they use the cleanest and quietest planes.
Quiter, cleaner and better
The ban on private flights and keeping out the noisiest aircraft are all components of the eight-point plan we launched in April towards a quieter, cleaner and better Schiphol. Curious what that plan looks like? You can find it here.