Netherlands biggest airport could ban night flights and private jets from 2026

Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport taking a hardline on emissions: The Netherlands largest airport Schiphol is negotiating a potential ban on night flights and private jets starting from 2026 in a move that may set the bar for how countries handle climate politics and the growing backlash against emissions, Bloomberg reported last week. The plan will come into effect depending on the outcomes of ongoing negotiations and litigation.

Efforts to curb emissions and noise pollution at Schiphol began last year: Airlines challenged the Dutch government’s proposal to cut the number of flights from 500k to 440k by 2024 in court, and won due to the government not following the “correct procedure,” the news outlet explains.

Private flights generate 20 times more CO2 per passenger than commercial flights, Bloomberg said, citing comments by Schiphol. Some 17k private jet flights crossed its runways last year alone. Around 30% to 50% of private jet flights from Schiphol go to holiday destinations that are also served by commercial flights.