Ministers were urged to lower the flight cap at Heathrow airport after the Dutch government reduced the planes limit at rival Schiphol.
Amsterdam Schiphol airport’s total flight capacity will be lowered by 4% next year in an effort to cut noise pollution, the Dutch government said on Friday.
Traffic at Schiphol, one of Europe’s busiest hubs, will be limited to 478,000 flights per year from 2025, down from the current cap of 500,000 flights per year.
The government had said in September it would likely lower the cap as it aimed to reduce disturbance for people living close to the airport by 20%.
Campaigners against a third runway at Heathrow were quick to respond to the move.
“This is a potential game changer for campaigns against noise pollution at major airports,” said John Stewart, a veteran campaigner against Heathrow expansion.
“It’s the first major airport that has actually lowered the number of flights.
“If the number of flight went down at Heathrow it would bring a lot of noise relief to a lot of Londoners.”
Heathrow has long argued that it needs another runway to compete against Schiphol and other major hub airports, attracting lucractive transfer passengers which enable more routes to be put on.
A third runway could see the number of flights at Heathrow rise from the current cap of 480,000 to 720,000 a year.
The debate about aviation has for decades been about airport expansion but the Schiphol decision may now change the focus, especially in the light of climate change threats.
“It could be a blow to a third runway,” explained Mr Stewart.
“If other major airports follow Schiphol’s example, Heathrow would be an outlier if it went for a third runway.”
Heathrow is already running at close to full capacity and the noise from planes blights large swathes of west London.
A Heathrow spokesperson said: “We agree that noise is an important issue for local communities which is why we have published clear reduction targets in our new Noise Action Plan.
“Our noise footprint has reduced by 41% since 2006 and we expect to see further reductions.
“The plan also includes voluntary measures, on top of what is already the strictest core night flight regime in Europe, to tackle the impact of night flights.”
The west London airport is expected to make a decision within months on whether to make a fresh push for another runway, and is already planning other changes to flight paths, take-offs and landings.
Sir Keir Starmer’s government may be tempted to back expansion in its dash for economic growth.
The new Government has said a third runway must meet its four tests on growth, delivery, climate change, and noise and local environmental impact.
Downing Street has made clear that the Government is open to a bigger Heathrow if the tests are met.
Back in the Netherlands, Dutch airline KLM urged the government to rethink its strategy, saying it should promote quieter planes rather than cutting flights.
The government said the new flight cap was expected to reduce noise by 15%, while it would look for ways to reduce an additional 5% at a later stage.
An effort to limit flights to around 450,000 was taken off the table last year following pressure from the industry and after objections from the European Union, which said the government should first look at other options to cut noise.
A Dutch court in March ordered the government to do more to cut noise pollution at Schiphol, saying the interests of people disturbed by the airport had been ignored for years.
