Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) is scrapping its controversial plan to reduce flight capacity in an effort to curb traffic and pollution, after facing intense pressure from the U.S.
Infrastructure Minister Mark Harbers wrote in a letter to the Dutch Parliament that the move to implement flight caps had been put on pause, primarily due to criticism from the U.S. Harbers also cited concerns from the Canadian government and the EU, according to De Telegraaf, a Dutch newspaper.
“In the eyes of the United States, the capacity reduction would be unjust, discriminatory and anti-competitive for airlines,” Harbers wrote in the letter.
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Schiphol said in a statement that it was “disappointed by the recent developments,” adding that it believed not reducing flight capacity at the airport would be detrimental to local residents.
The plan would have initially reduced Schiphol’s capacity from 500,000 flights a year…