Overview
- Ministers set a goal to start holiday flights at Lelystad Airport in October 2027, while saying the start still requires a signed nature permit.
- Members of Parliament challenged the timeline in a long debate, with left-leaning parties calling the date unrealistic and right-leaning parties urging faster action.
- The permit turns on national nitrogen policy, and the agriculture minister said approval can only proceed if flights do not impede nature recovery.
- Officials expect two to three months to finish the permit once nitrogen rules are clear, then roughly a year of likely litigation, and a judge has pressed the minister to decide within eight weeks on enforcement steps.
- Agencies are working in parallel on flight rules, terminal readiness, and staffing, and business groups filed a petition for a quick opening as environmental groups pushed a counter-petition to block holiday flights.