Our position

We ask the municipality of Diemen not to accept the new noise limits around Schiphol as they stand, and to work against them wherever it can, above all in the Bestuurlijke Regie Schiphol (BRS), where municipalities consult with the national government and the airport.

Why now

For years, Schiphol has answered complaints by saying that "nothing has changed". As a resident, there is little you can say against that, even when you experience something different every day. The research by NRC of 26 October 2026 (in Dutch) is about the noise limits that will soon apply.

According to NRC, the new limits at all 207 enforcement points are above the least favourable scenario in the calculations. In the Bijlmer, Duivendrecht and Diemen, there may be about 80 percent more noise at night than those calculations say is needed. During the day, in Diemen, it is a quarter to a third more.

Schiphol can use that room without exceeding the limit.

"With these limits, you are saying: whatever Schiphol wants must be possible."

Maarten Hornikx, professor of acoustics, Eindhoven University of Technology

What we think

1. A limit meant to protect residents must not be so generous that it enforces nothing.
2. Residents' sleep matters more than the airport's operational flexibility.
3. Municipalities must be able to show what happens above their residents, with measurements per neighbourhood rather than averages.
4. Questions about the new limits deserve an answer backed by data.

What we expect from the municipality

The alderman wrote to us that Diemen has joined the BRS and consults with other municipalities under the secondary runways. We appreciate that. We ask her to use that position now for the points on our list.