Schiphol airport may have to apply for a new environmental operating permit after judges in The Hague tore up the licence it was controversially awarded in 2023.

Since 2019, companies that emit large amounts of nitrogen have been required to hold an operating permit that details how much nitrogen they are allowed to discharge. Schiphol had been operating without a permit for years, and the government had turned a blind eye to the situation.

In 2023, Schiphol bought nine farms in order to use their nitrogen pollution rights as its own, and later that year was controversially given its own permit, which allowed it to carry out 500,000 take-offs and landings a year.

But campaign groups say Schiphol was wrongly awarded the permit, arguing it had failed to prove its emissions remain within the agreed limits and that the calculations that have been done are insufficient.

The court agreed, saying in its ruling on Wednesday that the permit application had not been properly prepared or motivated and should be cancelled. A new application process could take years.

Schiphol has already said it will appeal against the ruling and the consequences in the meantime are unclear.

Johan Vollenbroek, chairman of campaign group MOB, said he is considering applying for an enforcement notice should the airport continue to accept planes without a permit.

Schiphol is the subject of a string of legal battles. In March it emerged more than 900 people have signed up for a new court case against the airport, accusing the airport of mishandling or failing to take due care of their health.