Plans for Lelystad Airport permanently scrapped thanks to persistent efforts by the Party for the Animals
The Dutch Parliament has adopted a proposal put forward by the Party for the Animals calling on the cabinet to definitively refrain from opening Lelystad Airport to holiday flights. “It is laudatory that a parliamentary majority is in favour of curtailing the expansion of Lelystad Airport, both for the climate and the health of local residents,” said Party for the Animals MP Christine Teunissen.
Aviation is one of the main contributors to climate change and responsible for significant levels of air pollution. According to the Party for the Animals, it is imperative that constraints are imposed on the aviation sector to keep its scope of operations acceptable for the climate, our living environment, and human and animal safety. Christine Teunissen: “Opening a new airport while we are in the midst of a nature and climate crisis is a very poor idea indeed. Expanding Lelystad Airport would facilitate the growth of the aviation sector, while this actually needs to shrink.”
Thanks to a recently adopted proposal submitted by the Party for the Animals, the government will now need to consult with local authorities to offer residents an alternative in terms of social investment in the region. One of the options would be more sustainable employment.
The Party for the Animals has opposed the construction of new airports from the very onset. This landmark success is the outcome of many years of fighting against the expansion of Lelystad Airport in the Dutch Parliament.