The Dutch government plans to force Schiphol Airport in the Dutch capital, Amsterdam, one of the busiest airports in Europe, to reduce international flights to reduce carbon emissions, a move that has raised concerns among airlines..

Dutch officials had previously announced in mid-March the imposition of restrictions on all international flights departing from the Netherlands to achieve its climate goals, according to the website. CNN Arabic.

Aviation accounts for 3% of global warming pollution

And aviation represents about 2% to 3% of the pollution resulting from global warming in the world, but the share of a country in those emissions can be very high, especially for smaller countries that deal with many flights, which is what prompted some countries to target the aviation sector. as a way to reduce its overall climate footprint, and to deliver on its climate promises.

The first environmental measure against international aviation

Europe included internal initiatives to limit or ban some short-haul domestic and regional flights to reduce carbon emissions previously, but this will be the first environmental measure taken against international aviation..

For its part, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines crossed over “KLM”the Netherlands’ main carrier, expressed concerns about the move this week.

In a statement, the Dutch Ministry of Transport indicated the possibility of distributing the “Schiphol” airport and other airports affected by the decision, the process of reducing flights over several years..

The ministry added, “This policy will help the country achieve its carbon-related goal, and no further details have been specified yet, and the government promises that discussions will include all parties.”“.

Schiphol Airport is one of the largest airlines on the continent, but it was subjected to heavy criticism from passengers and airlines last year after it faced difficulties with the recovery of air traffic in the wake of the “Covid-19” pandemic.“The chaos led to restrictions on the number of passengers until early 2023 to mitigate staff shortages..

And last January, the Dutch government published the “Initial Plan for Schiphol,” which proposed reducing the number of flights from 500,000 to 460,000 between the winter of 2023, 2024, and the summer of 2024..

Airlines, lines received “KLM”in addition to major companies such as “Delta” and “Easy Jet”, in a joint statement on the government’s plan, describing the decision as “incomprehensible.”“.

The company demandedKLM filed a legal appeal against the Dutch government over the decision in early March.