Why is there so much aircraft noise around Amsterdam Schiphol?

Schiphol (AMS/EHAM) is one of the busiest airports in Europe, handling around 500,000 movements a year, and it sits only 9 km south-west of central Amsterdam. The airport has six runways arranged in a complex layout that distributes traffic across multiple corridors — Aalsmeerbaan, Polderbaan, Kaagbaan, Zwanenburgbaan, Buitenveldertbaan, and Oostbaan. The combination of high traffic volume and overland approaches affects a wide ring of suburbs from Aalsmeer to Haarlem.

Which Amsterdam-area neighborhoods are quietest?

Amsterdam Centrum (historic center), Amsterdam Noord, and most of the eastern districts (Watergraafsmeer, Oost) are well clear of the main corridors and only catch high-altitude overflight. The towns west of the Polderbaan (Haarlem, IJmuiden) get only occasional approach traffic. Aalsmeer, Hoofddorp, Uithoorn, Badhoevedorp and Zwanenburg are the most consistently affected; Amstelveen and Buitenveldert catch the east-west corridor.

What's the Polderbaan and why does it matter?

The Polderbaan (runway 18R/36L) is Schiphol's most-recently-built and most remote runway, located on the western edge of the airport. It was deliberately positioned over the empty Haarlemmermeerpolder so its approach and departure paths avoid as many residential areas as possible. Aviation authorities prefer using it for night operations and when wind permits, because it shifts noise from the densely-populated Aalsmeerbaan and Buitenveldertbaan corridors. When the Polderbaan is in use, Hoofddorp catches the heaviest impact.

How does Schiphol compare to Heathrow or Frankfurt for noise?

Schiphol's traffic volume is comparable to Heathrow (LHR) but it's spread across six runways rather than two, so any single corridor is less loud per movement. Heathrow's two parallel runways concentrate traffic into a narrow east-west band over west London. Schiphol's footprint is wider but less intense per neighborhood. Frankfurt (FRA) has four runways and a strict curfew, which Schiphol does not. For affected suburbs, Schiphol's continuous overnight operations are the defining issue vs. curfewed alternatives.

Is Amstelveen loud from planes?

It depends which part. The north-eastern parts of Amstelveen (near the A9 motorway) catch the Buitenveldertbaan (09/27) corridor during east-flow operations — these passes are at low altitude. The southern parts of Amstelveen are well clear of all corridors. Drop a pin on the map above to see your specific street's exposure.

How do I report aircraft noise at Schiphol?

Submit complaints via the BAS (Bewoners Aanspreekpunt Schiphol) information line at bezoekbas.nl or by phone. BAS is the official noise complaint channel for Schiphol and forwards complaints to both the airport operator and Dutch civil aviation authority (ILT). The Schiphol Society of Direct Neighbours (Stichting BAS) also publishes annual reports based on complaint data.

Does coverage on this map include all aircraft?

Yes — commercial fleets at Schiphol have near-100% ADS-B coverage. The heatmap and density layers reflect actual traffic accurately. Light aircraft from Hilversum and Lelystad don't operate from Schiphol so they don't affect this map.

Amsterdam Flight Path Noise Map – Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS)

Name: Aircraft noise observations near Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
Creator: Flight Path Noise
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Aircraft noise around Amsterdam in October 2026

Loudest neighborhoods near Amsterdam: Aalsmeer, Badhoevedorp, Uithoorn, Hoofddorp, Zwanenburg. Quietest: Amsterdam Centrum, Haarlem, Leiden. Busiest around 2 PM local time averaging 1462 flights/day. Source: Flight Path Noise monitoring data, 30 days to 2026-10-18.

Flights by hour · last 30 days

12a6a12p6p

Average daily traffic

1462

flights / day · 43,855 total

Busiest hour

2 PM

peak 95 dB

Loudest hour

2 PM

peak 95 dB

Loudest residential area

Zwanenburg

66 dB avg · ~1,010 flights/day · Busy road

Sits between the Polderbaan and Zwanenburgbaan; under the busiest approach corridor in Europe

Does Amsterdam Airport have a curfew?

No — Amsterdam has no formal curfew.

Schiphol operates 24 hours with no formal curfew, but it has strict noise abatement procedures during the “nachtperiode” (11 PM – 7 AM). The remote Polderbaan runway is preferred for night operations because its corridor passes over the least populated area (the Haarlemmermeerpolder). Night-time movements are also capped under the Dutch government’s noise enforcement scheme, but they continue at meaningful volume.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS/EHAM) is one of Europe’s busiest airports — around 500,000 movements per year — and it sits just 9 km south-west of central Amsterdam. Six runways arranged in a complex layout spread the noise impact across a wide ring of suburbs rather than concentrating it on a single corridor. The suburbs immediately south (Aalsmeer), west (Hoofddorp), and north (Badhoevedorp, Zwanenburg) catch the most consistent overflight; Amsterdam itself — particularly the historic center and the east — sits mostly clear.

Which neighborhoods are quietest — and which aren’t

Schiphol operates six runways: the Polderbaan (18R/36L, the remote western runway), Zwanenburgbaan (18C/36C), Aalsmeerbaan (18L/36R), Kaagbaan (06/24), Buitenveldertbaan (09/27), and Oostbaan (04/22, used mostly for general aviation). Operations rotate between runways based on wind, time of day, and which corridor has been used most recently — a deliberate distribution to spread the noise impact.

Area	Aircraft noise	Why
Aalsmeer	✈︎✈︎✈︎	Directly under Aalsmeerbaan corridor
Badhoevedorp	✈︎✈︎✈︎	Airport-adjacent; Polderbaan + Kaagbaan
Uithoorn	✈︎✈︎✈︎	South of Aalsmeerbaan, low altitude
Hoofddorp	✈︎✈︎✈︎	West-side; Polderbaan + Zwanenburgbaan
Zwanenburg	✈︎✈︎✈︎	Between two parallel runways
Schiphol-Rijk	✈︎✈︎✈︎	Adjacent to terminals
Amstelveen (NE)	✈︎✈︎	Buitenveldertbaan east-flow corridor
Buitenveldert	✈︎✈︎	09/27 approach corridor
Amsterdam Zuid	✈︎✈︎	East-west corridor at altitude
Amsterdam Centrum	✈︎	Historic center; high-altitude only
Haarlem	✈︎	West of Polderbaan; rare approach
Leiden	✈︎	Outside primary footprint

The practical move at Amsterdam is the historic center or Amsterdam Noord/Oost if aircraft noise is a primary concern — these districts are far enough from any active corridor that overflight is minimal and at altitude. The Zuidas business district and the southern parts of Amsterdam catch the east-west corridor during certain operations; this is a moderate impact. Aalsmeer, Hoofddorp, Uithoorn and the Schiphol-adjacent suburbs are consistently affected.

Flight patterns and runway use

Schiphol’s runway selection is more complex than at most airports. The “preferred runway” sequence is published daily and shifts based on wind, traffic demand, and noise-equalisation rules. In general terms:

South-westerly winds (most common): the Polderbaan (18R) and Kaagbaan (06) handle most departures, the Aalsmeerbaan (18L) and Polderbaan (18R) handle most arrivals. Hoofddorp and Aalsmeer bear the impact.
North-easterly winds: the Polderbaan (36L), Zwanenburgbaan (36C), and Kaagbaan (24) reverse the flow. Badhoevedorp and the northern suburbs catch the arrival approaches.
Easterly winds (less common): the Buitenveldertbaan (09/27) becomes active. Amstelveen and Buitenveldert hear the east-west corridor at low altitude.

The route-density layer on the map above shows the cumulative multi-runway pattern: a wide six-pointed star around the airport rather than the narrow corridors typical of two-runway hubs. The Polderbaan corridor is the brightest at the western edge, reflecting its preferred-runway status.

When is it quietest?

Schiphol’s 24-hour operations with night-period restrictions produce a continuous noise profile that dips overnight but never goes silent:

Morning departure bank (5 AM – 8 AM): peak. European morning departures + international long-haul to Asia.
Midday (10 AM – 3 PM): moderate, sustained.
Evening arrival bank (5 PM – 9 PM): peak. Long-haul arrivals
European afternoon traffic.
Late evening (10 PM – 11 PM): tapers as flights race to land before the night-period restrictions take effect.
Night period (11 PM – 7 AM): operations continue under enforcement scheme. The Polderbaan is preferred to push noise away from populated areas. Most noticeable in Hoofddorp and the western suburbs.

For your specific address, drop a pin on the map above to see the hourly profile.

A note on the noise enforcement scheme

The Dutch government runs a unique noise-enforcement scheme that caps the total noise output (in kg of perceived loudness, or “lden”) from Schiphol annually. If the airport exceeds the cap, operations are restricted the following year. This has driven Schiphol to preferentially route night operations over the Polderbaan and to invest heavily in continuous descent approaches that reduce noise. The scheme is politically contentious — local resident groups argue it allows too much overall noise, while the airport argues it’s the strictest such regime in Europe.

How to check noise at your specific address

The map above is the answer to “is this spot loud?” Three steps:

Search your address or postcode in the bar at the bottom of the map.
Drop a pin — click the location marker that appears.
Read the noise report that opens in the sidebar: average daily noise (Leq), peak observed dB, flights per day passing within 2 km, and an hourly breakdown — including the night period, which matters most for sleep quality.

Most addresses inside the Amsterdam ring road (A10) will land in the green/quiet zone. The southwest quadrant of the metro (Aalsmeer / Hoofddorp / Uithoorn / Badhoevedorp / Zwanenburg) is where to check carefully. Amstelveen depends heavily on which runway is active — the north-east hears the east-west corridor; the south-west is much quieter.

Frequently asked questions

Why is there so much aircraft noise around Amsterdam Schiphol?: Schiphol (AMS/EHAM) is one of the busiest airports in Europe, handling around 500,000 movements a year, and it sits only 9 km south-west of central Amsterdam. The airport has six runways arranged in a complex layout that distributes traffic across multiple corridors — Aalsmeerbaan, Polderbaan, Kaagbaan, Zwanenburgbaan, Buitenveldertbaan, and Oostbaan. The combination of high traffic volume and overland approaches affects a wide ring of suburbs from Aalsmeer to Haarlem.
Which Amsterdam-area neighborhoods are quietest?: Amsterdam Centrum (historic center), Amsterdam Noord, and most of the eastern districts (Watergraafsmeer, Oost) are well clear of the main corridors and only catch high-altitude overflight. The towns west of the Polderbaan (Haarlem, IJmuiden) get only occasional approach traffic. Aalsmeer, Hoofddorp, Uithoorn, Badhoevedorp and Zwanenburg are the most consistently affected; Amstelveen and Buitenveldert catch the east-west corridor.
What's the Polderbaan and why does it matter?: The Polderbaan (runway 18R/36L) is Schiphol's most-recently-built and most remote runway, located on the western edge of the airport. It was deliberately positioned over the empty Haarlemmermeerpolder so its approach and departure paths avoid as many residential areas as possible. Aviation authorities prefer using it for night operations and when wind permits, because it shifts noise from the densely-populated Aalsmeerbaan and Buitenveldertbaan corridors. When the Polderbaan is in use, Hoofddorp catches the heaviest impact.
How does Schiphol compare to Heathrow or Frankfurt for noise?: Schiphol's traffic volume is comparable to Heathrow (LHR) but it's spread across six runways rather than two, so any single corridor is less loud per movement. Heathrow's two parallel runways concentrate traffic into a narrow east-west band over west London. Schiphol's footprint is wider but less intense per neighborhood. Frankfurt (FRA) has four runways and a strict curfew, which Schiphol does not. For affected suburbs, Schiphol's continuous overnight operations are the defining issue vs. curfewed alternatives.
Is Amstelveen loud from planes?: It depends which part. The north-eastern parts of Amstelveen (near the A9 motorway) catch the Buitenveldertbaan (09/27) corridor during east-flow operations — these passes are at low altitude. The southern parts of Amstelveen are well clear of all corridors. Drop a pin on the map above to see your specific street's exposure.
How do I report aircraft noise at Schiphol?: Submit complaints via the BAS (Bewoners Aanspreekpunt Schiphol) information line at bezoekbas.nl or by phone. BAS is the official noise complaint channel for Schiphol and forwards complaints to both the airport operator and Dutch civil aviation authority (ILT). The Schiphol Society of Direct Neighbours (Stichting BAS) also publishes annual reports based on complaint data.
Does coverage on this map include all aircraft?: Yes — commercial fleets at Schiphol have near-100% ADS-B coverage. The heatmap and density layers reflect actual traffic accurately. Light aircraft from Hilversum and Lelystad don't operate from Schiphol so they don't affect this map.

Sources and further reading

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol — Wikipedia — Wikipedia
Schiphol — Living near the airport — Royal Schiphol Group
BAS — Bewoners Aanspreekpunt Schiphol (resident complaints) — BAS / Stichting BAS
ILT — Dutch Civil Aviation Inspection — Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport

Data updated 2026-10-18 — live ADS-B monitoring, rolling 30-day statistics (methodology). Article text revised 2026-05-23.

30 dB	Whisper
45 dB	Quiet residential
55 dB	Normal conversation
65 dB	Busy road
75 dB	Vacuum cleaner
85 dB	Heavy traffic
95 dB	Motorcycle nearby

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Amsterdam Flight Path Noise Map – Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS)

Aircraft noise around Amsterdam in October 2026

Does Amsterdam Airport have a curfew?

Which neighborhoods are quietest — and which aren’t

Flight patterns and runway use

When is it quietest?

A note on the noise enforcement scheme

How to check noise at your specific address

Frequently asked questions

Sources and further reading

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