KLM Pushes Back on Amsterdam Schiphol Night Closure

AMSTERDAM — A new Dutch coalition agreement, “Aan de slag”, reiterates Amsterdam Schiphol Airport’s (AMS) economic hub importance while tightening environmental and community constraints.

The deal would lock in 478,000 annual movements at AMS, launch a new Balanced Approach track aiming for the airport to be 50% quieter at night (23:00–07:00) by 2030 vs. 2024, and explicitly include a 00:00–05:00 night closure as part of that package. 

The same agreement would finally move Lelystad Airport (LEY) toward opening as a dual-use (military + civil) field with 10,000 initial movements, conditional on meeting legal requirements, including a nature permit; it also sets a goal for 2030 CO₂ from civil aviation at AMS + LEY to be lower than 2024 AMS levels.

KLM (KL) is objecting to the night-closure concept, arguing it conflicts with the coalition’s stated ambition to strengthen the Dutch economy and protect international connectivity via Schiphol’s hub. The airline, however, welcomed the coalition’s intent to replace the national ticket tax with an EU-level, harmonized aviation tax and pushed for a quick step to align Dutch taxation at least with Germany’s.

According to Flight Global, Schiphol Group struck a more supportive tone, praising the agreement’s “system” approach (AMS + LEY) and saying it believes a 50% reduction in night noise can be achieved in collaboration with the sector.

A hard 00:00–05:00 closure would compress late-night arrivals and early-bank departures, which keep transfer connectivity and aircraft utilization efficient, while the coalition simultaneously seeks to preserve Schiphol’s hub value.

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