Amsterdam court gives green light to plan to reduce flights at busy Schiphol Airport

Appeals court judges in Amsterdam say the Dutch government can order Schiphol Airport, one of Europe’s busiest aviation hubs, to reduce the number of flights from 500,000 per year to 460,000. The Amsterdam Court of Appeal on Friday overturned a lower court that concluded in April the government of the Netherlands didn't follow the correct procedure when it told Schiphol last year to cut flights. Nearby residents have complained for years about noise pollution from the airport. Airport officials, civil aviation organizations and airlines had challenged the government’s order. Friday’s decision can be appealed to the Dutch Supreme Court. Schiphol officials said they accepted the ruling.