The suddenly announced ban on the ban on private jets at Amsterdam airport has taken a turn for the worse with many entrepreneurs working in the sector now threatening Schiphol with wanting to take the matter before a judge, BNR Radio says.
‘The question is whether this is legally permissible,’ some say. The ban was announced yesterday by the SEO of the domestic airport, Ruud Sondag, in an interview with Algemeen Dagblad. “We want to get rid of the 17,000 corporate flights a year by the end of 2025,” Sondag said. According to a press release published later from Schiphol, private flights cause “disproportionate noise pollution and CO2 emissions” and jets are mainly used for tourist traffic to destinations such as Ibiza, Cannes and Innsbruck.
But the private air traffic industry doesn’t want to hear any reason: private jets in Amsterdam must stay. In addition to the owners and operators of the aircraft, these are restaurateurs, land transport connection companies and rental companies who strongly doubt the intentions of the capital’s stopover: Ronald Wüstefeld, co-owner of Aerodynamics, sees the ban as something of a challenge, he says to NOS. But if it happens, then he will decide a judge.
Even the trade association of private pilots, the European Business Aviation Association, denounces the airport’s lack of consultation and states in a reply that it considers the announced ban “irritual”. Banning business aviation at Schiphol could result in a significant loss of income for the Dutch economy. According to the EBAA, private jets account for zero emissions and the entire private jet category at Amsterdam Airport is already making moves to lobby politics in a bid to avoid court.
The number of private flights to Schiphol broke records last year: On the final day of the Zandvoort Grand Prix, the airport recorded 120 movements in one day, more than ever before, BNR says.