Protesters, wearing white suits, entered an area where private jets are kept on Saturday as part of a day of protests in and around the airport organized by environmental groups. Dewi Zloch, head of the Dutch campaign for Greenpeace, one of the groups involved, said: “We want fewer flights, more trains and a ban on unnecessary short-haul flights and private jets.” Greenpeace says Schiphol is the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions in the Netherlands, emitting 12 billion kilograms per year. Extinction Rebellion also participated in the action. Hundreds of other protesters in and around the airport’s main concourse carried signs reading “Restrict Aviation” and “More Trains”. No commercial flight delays were reported as of early afternoon. Military police in charge of airport security said they “made a number of arrests of people who were on airport property without permission”. Responding to the protest, Schiphol said it aims to become an emissions-free airport by 2030 and backed targets for the aviation industry to reach net zero emissions by 2050. On Friday, in response to an open letter from Greenpeace, Schiphol’s new chief executive, Ruud Sondag, admitted that change needed to happen more quickly. The Dutch government announced plans in June to limit annual passenger numbers at the airport to 440,000, about 11 percent below 2019 levels, citing air pollution and climate concerns. Transport Minister Mark Harbors told parliament last month that his office could not control the growing private jet traffic and the government is considering whether to include the issue in its climate policy. The most important stories on the planet. Get all the week’s environmental news – the good, the bad and the must-haves Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. More than 120 world leaders are set to attend this year’s UN climate talks in the Red Sea coastal resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, which begin on Sunday. Extinction Rebellion has been warning about the environmental impact of air travel for many years and in October 2019 a protester boarded a British Airways plane at London City Airport and was seen lying on top of it. Other activists staged a sit-in at the airport entrance during the third day of protests in London at the time.
