Eindhoven Airport (EHEH) in the Netherlands intends to ban private flights starting in 2026 as part of a strategy to reduce aircraft carbon dioxide emissions and noise by 30 percent—compared to 2019 levels–by 2030. Other measures confirmed late last week include a cap on the number of yearly flights and a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blending requirement that is markedly higher than the one mandated by the European Union (EU).
“As private flights have a relatively large noise and CO2 footprint per passenger and only marginally meet our region’s mobility needs, we have decided not to allow them at Eindhoven Airport from 2026,” the airport said in a statement. It added that it remains willing to accept electric aircraft, including eVTOLs.
The airport wants to reduce the total number of flights from 41,500 to a maximum of 40,500 a year in 2026 and 2027. It handled 40,252 departures and arrivals last year and 41,439 in 2019. Commercial flights operated by low-cost or leisure airlines such as Transavia, Ryanair, Wizz Air, Corendon, and TUI account for most of its traffic.
Eindhoven ranks as the country’s third-busiest airport for business aviation traffic, with 2,132 movements in 2022, according to data from the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA). It is located close to the technology development hub of Dutch electronics group Philips; Philips' flight department is a founding member of EBAA.
The airport vowed that it will not reallocate the capacity freed up by eliminating private flights to large commercial traffic. It has, however, agreed to allow 500 movements each year for what it calls “social traffic,” which could include medical missions and development flights for sustainable aviation.
EBAA senior manager of communications Romàn Kok said the association was puzzled by Eindhoven Airport’s statement and its environmental motivations for banning private jets. “The decision seems to be a commercial decision driven by the outlook of higher profits through higher landing fees from narrowbody aircraft versus business jets, which will eventually lead to higher CO2 and noise levels. We are baffled by this,” he told AIN.
Kok also questioned the airport’s declared target that airlines will need to use a 20 percent SAF blend at the site from 2030. “These quantities of SAF will not be available on the market,” he noted.
Under the recently adopted ReFuelEU regulation, aviation fuel suppliers will have to provide a 6 percent SAF blend in 2030. The mandate starts in 2025 with a 2 percent minimum SAF blend.
EU Forces Dutch Govt Climbdown At Schiphol
Eindhoven is the second airport in the Netherlands actively moving to ban business aviation flights. Royal Schiphol Group has already revealed its plan to ban private jets and small business aviation at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (EHAM) from 2026. According to the airport operator, whose majority shareholder is the Dutch government, business aviation flights cause a “disproportionate amount of noise nuisance and CO2 emissions per passenger.”
However, late on Tuesday the Netherlands Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Mark Harbers announced the postponement of wider capacity cuts at Schiphol. This decision came after increasing pressure to stop the forced capacity shrinkage from the European Commission and foreign governments, including the U.S. and Canada. A high-level meeting between the U.S. DOT the European Commission and the Dutch government took place in Brussels yesterday.
European Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean sent a letter to the Dutch government on Monday warning that the EU’s executive body reserved the right to initiate an infraction procedure against the Netherlands due to its failure to comply with European regulations.
The first phase of the cuts was due to come into force with the start of the 2024 summer season (March 31 to October 26) and would have curbed the proportion of “small business traffic,” including private flights, allowed at EHAM by about 40 percent.
EBAA welcomed the partial climbdown by the Dutch government. "This is certainly good news," Kok commented. "We've been deeply involved in the Dutch case, advocating for our members and the broader industry. However, it's clear that stakeholders like Schiphol Airport still hold misconceptions about the business aviation industry, often incorrectly perpetrating it as a primary contributor to noise and emissions. It is imperative that we dispel these misconceptions, affirming that such perceptions are not aligned with reality and emphasising our industry's steadfast commitment to sustainable and responsible practices."
Royal Schiphol Group holds a 51 percent stake in Eindhoven. It also owns Rotterdam The Hague Airport (EHRD), which has not yet announced a ban on private jets, and which handled 7,561 business aviation flight movements in 2022.
Following the collapse of the Dutch collation government in July, EBAA and fellow industry associations have called to suspend the plans to lower the number of flights permitted at Amsterdam Schiphol until a new Dutch government takes office. The general election will take place on November 22.
“We eagerly await the outcome of the elections,” said Kok. However, it is widely expected that the Dutch political climate—with regard to aviation—will continue to be challenging, because the three parties leading in the polls in some form all support a chokehold on the industry.
This story was updated to include the Dutch government's suspension of a flight capacity cut at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.