A Dutch court has upheld a legal challenge by airlines against a Dutch government attempt to cut the number of flights to and from Schiphol Airport.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which joined carriers such as KLM in taking on the government over the attempted cut, said on April 5 that it welcomed the ruling.
"This case has been about upholding the law and international obligations. The judge has understood that the Dutch government violated its obligations in short-cutting processes that would bring scrutiny to its desire to cut flight numbers at Schiphol," said IATA director general Willie Walsh.
But the IATA warned that the "the threat of flight cuts at Schiphol remains very real and is still the stated policy of the government".
The ruling came a day after the airport announced a plan to end flying between midnight and 5am, a move the IATA said came about "without consultation".
The Dutch government earlier said it wanted to cut the number of flights at Schiphol by 40,000 to 460,000.
The ruling came less than a month after a newly-formed Dutch farmers' party won what was widely labelled a "shock" victory in provincial elections. The vote came after months of protests by farmers against government efforts to force them to cut production.
The government said separately that the farmers and the airport need to reduce output to in turn lower carbon emissions.