Schiphol flights capped at 478,000 under new noise regulations

The new Luchthavenverkeerbesluit (LVB) for Schiphol was published in the Staatsblad, the official law gazette, on Tuesday. It takes effect on 1 November. The government says it restores residents' legal protection, reduces noise nuisance and ends years of tolerated non-enforcement.

Why it matters

• Residents near Schiphol can rely on the noise rules again. Since 2015 they could not.
• Flights are capped at 478,000 until noise falls enough.
• Growth to a maximum of 500,000 flights is possible only if noise exposure falls further.

Since 2015 the rules of the old decree were not enforced, because all parties involved had agreed other ways of flying. The new rules were never laid down, so residents could not invoke them. That ends now.

The decree has 148 enforcement points instead of 35. They set how much noise is allowed each year at locations around the airport. If a limit threatens to be exceeded, Schiphol must intervene. If it is exceeded, the inspectorate ILT can enforce.

The 478,000 cap stays until the noise target is met: 20% fewer severely annoyed people around the airport. The Eerste Kamer and Tweede Kamer will be involved in the decision to activate the growth system. Of the noise gain, 50% goes to the surroundings and the other half allows more flights.

The decree also fixes which runways are used most, because they cause the least nuisance to the surroundings.

Schiphol connects us to the world and is hugely important for the Netherlands' earning power. At the same time, aviation inevitably brings nuisance.Minister Vincent Karremans

Karremans said the new decree limits that nuisance better, with a good balance between residents and the economy. The government says Schiphol supports more than 110,000 jobs, 68,000 of them at the airport, and offers over 300 direct destinations.