Night Flight Restrictions at European Airports Impacting Cargo

Flight restrictions are a growing concern across the European Union (EU) and several airports, including Brussels, Cologne, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, and Amsterdam-Schiphol (AMS), are considering plans to reduce night flights due to noise disruptions. The primary objective is to decrease noise pollution for locals living near airports, with a secondary aim to reduce carbon emissions from aircraft.

Night flights are peak travel hours for cargo planes aiming to complete overnight deliveries to and from the United States. Any reduction in the level and convenience of these services would be a major detriment to U.S. commerce, manufacturing, and trade. Flights prohibited during these hours, would stymie quick and efficient deliveries. Large volume shipments would be disproportionately affected as they cannot be transported on combination aircraft during regular peak travel hours. Furthermore, cargo flights displaced from nighttime hours, would only increase congestion and delays during the day.

Regulatory responses to aircraft noise began at the global level with the United National (UN) International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Balanced Approach to Aircraft Noise Management, adopted at ICAO’s 33rd Assembly in 2001. The ICAO Balanced Approach is an extremely important process for cargo operators, which disproportionately utilize these larger airports as regional and global transportation hubs.

The Balanced Approach was transposed into European Law via EU Directive 2002/30/EC, and later replaced in 2014 by EU Regulation No. 598/2014. In the EU, legislation is established centrally; however, its implementation into local law occurs at the Member State level with individual airports responsible for developing noise reduction policies, in consultation with stakeholders.

For example, in 2023, the Dutch government with the support of AMS, pursued a policy to limit flights to around 450,000 flights per year, or 10% below 2019 levels. The Dutch government chose to implement the flight cuts under an “experimental” regulation regime that allows the government to implement a policy on a temporary basis to measure effectiveness. These reductions, as well as proposals to ban take-offs between midnight and 6 a.m., ban landings between midnight and 5 a.m., reduce access for private aircraft, and ban 87 older aircraft types, were all part of a broader effort to cut noise from AMS.

These types of reductions are extremely concerning for U.S. industry and cargo operators, especially as two of Europe’s major cargo hubs – Cologne and Paris – are considering similar noise reduction initiatives. A reduction in cargo transport could lead to a decrease in global capital transfer between the U.S. and the EU.

The U.S. government issued a strong statement against the planned flight reductions at AMS, with the U.S. Department of Transportation stating that the Netherlands “failed to follow the Balanced Approach” and were pursuing “unjustifiable and unreasonable activities” that were “in violation of the U.S.-EU Air Transport Agreement” of 2007.

Responding to U.S. concerns, and those raised by the European Commission and Canada, the Dutch government revised its plan in late 2023 and is now following a Phase 1 Balanced Approach. The Dutch government is now reviewing limiting annual night flights from 32,000 to 27,000 starting in November 2025 and banning certain aircraft from operating between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.

The U.S. Commercial Service at the U.S. Mission to the EU (CSEU) continues to engage the European Commission on this issue on behalf of U.S. industry by hosting industry roundtables with industry leaders, EU Member States, and senior European officials. If your industry may be affected by this policy initiative in any of the EU Member States, please contact CSEU Senior Commercial Specialist Alina Moglan and Commercial Officer Nathan Donohue for additional guidance and support.