Dutch court nixes plan to reduce flights at Schiphol Airport

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A judge has ruled that the Dutch government cannot order Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, one of Europe’s busiest aviation hubs, to reduce the number of flights from 500,000 per year to 460,000. The decision Wednesday deals a blow to efforts to cut emissions and noise pollution in the densely populated region around the airport. The ruling came in a summary case brought by airlines and civil aviation organizations led by Dutch carrier KLM that sought to halt the planned cuts unveiled last year. The judge ruled that the Dutch government didn’t follow the correct procedure when it called on Schiphol to reduce flight numbers. The government ministry responsible for aviation infrastructure says it’s considering its next steps.