Lelystad traffic distribution rules consultation

Published on May 21, 2019 - 16:40

Aviation noise, capacity and environmental issues are subject to great public debate in the Netherlands, driven in particular by the fact that the number of flight movements at its principal airport, Schiphol, is limited by law to 500,000 per year and that cap has effectively been reached. A second airport has been prepared for operations at Lelystad, some 50km away, but its opening has been continuously delayed by public concerns over aircraft noise, low flight paths and regulatory issues about how mainly low-cost flights could be transferred from Schiphol to Lelystad. The Dutch Government recently issued a decree on new traffic distribution rules for Lelystad which was also the subject of a consultation by the European Commission. 

T&E’s response to the consultation examines the various issues and notes that proper taxation of flights in the Netherlands would resolve capacity issues, reduce aircraft noise and CO2, and obviate the need to open Lelystad airport or raise the movements cap at Schiphol. Taxation issues are of particular interest as the Dutch government has just released a proposal for a ticket and per flight tax in the Netherlands, and an EU-level finance ministers conference on aviation taxation will be held in The Hague on 20-21 June 2019.

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