Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (IATA: AMS, ICAO: EHAM)Amsterdam Airport SchipholAmsterdam Airport Schiphol (IATA: AMS, ICAO: EHAM), known informally as Schiphol Airport, or in Dutch: Luchthaven Schiphol is the main international airport of the Netherlands, and is one of the major hubs for the SkyTeam airline alliance. It is located 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) southwest of Amsterdam, in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer in the province of North Holland. It is the world's third busiest airport by international passenger traffic in 2023. With almost 72 million passengers in 2019, it is the third-busiest airport in Europe in terms of passenger volume and the busiest in Europe in terms of aircraft movements. With an annual cargo tonnage of 1.74 million, it is the 4th busiest in Europe. AMS covers a total area of 6,887 acres (10.761 sq mi, 2,787 ha) of land. The airport is built on the single-terminal concept: one large terminal split into three departure halls. Schiphol is the principal hub for KLM and its regional affiliate KLM Cityhopper as well as for Martinair. The airport also serves as an operating base for Corendon Dutch Airlines, easyJet, Transavia, TUI fly Netherlands, and Vueling. Schiphol opened on 16 September 1916 as a military airbase. The end of the First World War also saw the beginning of civilian use of Schiphol Airport and the airport eventually lost its military role completely. By 1940, Schiphol had four asphalt runways at 45-degree angles. The airport was captured by the German military that same year and renamed Fliegerhorst Schiphol. The airport was destroyed through bombing but at the end of the war, the airfield was soon rebuilt. In 1949, it was decided that Schiphol was to become the primary airport of the Netherlands. Schiphol Airport was voted the Best Airport in Western Europe in 2020. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Description Schiphol Airport ranked as Europe's third busiest and the world's eleventh busiest by total passenger traffic in 2017 (12th in 2016, 14th in 2015, 2014 and 2013 and 16th in 2012). It also ranks as the world's fifth busiest by international passenger traffic and the world's sixteenth busiest for cargo tonnage. A record 71,706,999 passengers passed through the airport in 2019. Schiphol's main competitors in terms of passenger traffic and cargo throughput are London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Madrid, Paris–Charles de Gaulle and Istanbul. In 2019, 70.5% of passengers using the airport flew to and from Europe, 10.6% to and from North America and 10.1% to and from Asia, cargo volume was mainly between Schiphol and Asia (46.3%) and North America (17.6%). In 2019, 102 carriers provided a total of 332 destinations on a regular basis. The airport is built as one large terminal (a single-terminal concept), split into three departure halls, which connect again once airside. The most recent of these was completed in 1994 and expanded in 2007 with a new section, called Terminal 4, although it is not considered a separate building. A new pier is to be opened in 2019 with a terminal extension planned to be operational by 2023. Plans for further terminal and gate expansion exist, including the construction of a separate new terminal between the Zwanenburgbaan and Polderbaan runways that would end the one-terminal concept. Because of intense traffic and high landing fees (due to the limit of 500,000 flights a year), some low-cost carriers decided to move their flights to smaller airports, such as Rotterdam The Hague Airport and Eindhoven Airport. Many low-cost carriers, such as EasyJet and Ryanair, however, continue to operate at Schiphol, using the low-cost H pier. In 2015, Lelystad Airport was allowed to expand, aimed at accommodating some of the low-cost and leisure flights currently operating out of Schiphol, eventually taking up to 45,000 flights a year. To combat complaints from the community in Schiphol, Amsterdam Airport is advocating the prohibition of private jets, with the aim of minimizing noise and environmental pollution. The airport also intends to restrict takeoffs between midnight and 6 a.m. and landings between midnight and 5 a.m. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Departure Hall 1
Pier E is a dedicated non-Schengen area and has fourteen gates. It is typically home to SkyTeam hub airlines Delta Air Lines and KLM, along with other members, such as China Airlines and China Southern Airlines. Other Middle Eastern and Asian airlines such as Air Astana, EVA Air, Etihad Airways and Iran Air also typically operate out of Pier E. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Departure Hall 3 Departure Hall 3 consists of three piers: F, G, and H/M. Pier F has eight gates and is typically dominated by SkyTeam members such as primary airline KLM, Kenya Airways, China Airlines, China Southern Airlines, and other members. Pier G has thirteen gates. Piers F and G are non-Schengen areas. Piers H and M are physically one concourse consisting of seven shared gates and are home to low-cost airlines. Operating completely separately, H handles non-Schengen flights while M is dedicated to flights within the Schengen area. A380 Gates G9, E18 and E24 (E24 refurbished in 2019) are equipped to handle daily Airbus A380 service by Emirates. China Southern Airlines also operated the type before withdrawing it from service at the end of 2022, leaving Emirates as the only A380 operator at Schiphol as of 2023. Schiphol Airport General Aviation Terminal A new general aviation terminal was opened in 2011 on the east side of the airport, operated as the KLM Jet Center. The new terminal building has a floorspace of 6,000 m2 (65,000 sq ft), 1,000 m2 (11,000 sq ft) for the actual terminal and lounges, 4,000 m2 (43,000 sq ft) for office space and 1,000 m2 (11,000 sq ft) for parking. The centre and its activities were sold to the Swiss company Jet Aviation in October 2018 and has been rebranded as Jet Aviation Amsterdam. Schiphol Airport Other Facilities The Rijksmuseum operates an annex at the airport, offering a small overview of both classical and contemporary art. Admission to the exhibits is free, but requires a plane ticket as it is situated in the passenger transit zone. In the summer of 2010, Schiphol Airport Library opened alongside the museum, providing passengers access to a collection of 1,200 books (translated into 29 languages) by Dutch authors on subjects relating to the country's History and culture. The 89.9 m2 (968 sq ft) library offers e-books and music by Dutch artists and composers that can be downloaded free of charge to a laptop or mobile device. Schiphol Airport Future Expansions Schiphol Airport Pier A In 2012, Schiphol Group announced an expansion of Schiphol, featuring a new pier. Pier A will be part of Departure Hall 1, which already has Pier B (14 gates) and Pier C (21 gates). The new Pier A will have five narrow-body gates and will initially have three wide-body gates, with two more planned for a later phase. The first activities are expected to start in 2017 and to be completed in 2023. The expansions will cost about 500 million euros. First, the new Pier A will be built to the southwest of Pier B, in an area currently used as a freight platform. Pier A will mainly be used for flights within Europe. Originally expected to be operational by the end of 2019, the construction of the new pier has been delayed several times and due to a conflict between the airport and the construction consortium, the construction was halted in November 2021. Schiphol was disappointed in the construction speed and the rising of the total cost, although insiders announced that a design flaw was made and the entire construction needed to be reinforced. A new tendering procedure will be started to find a new constructor, once found a new completion date will be announced. Schiphol Airport Fourth Terminal Hall To handle future growth in passengers, Schiphol will further expand by building a fourth terminal hall with facilities for both departures and arrivals. From this new building, direct access will be made to Schiphol Plaza, continuing the one-terminal concept. When finished in 2023, Schiphol will be able to handle over 70 million passengers. Due to rapid growth of Schengen passengers during 2016, Schiphol was however forced to rapidly build a temporary departure hall which opened in March 2017. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the construction of the fourth terminal hall has been postponed for at least two years. Schiphol Airport Public Transportation Schiphol, together with the public transport authority Amsterdam, is going to transform its train- and bus station. The train station will be getting more entrances and the bus station will be completely renewed with a planned opening date in 2025. A connection to the Amsterdam Metro network has been a subject of discussion and speculation since at least the 1990s. In preparation for this, a piece of land has been acquired from Chipshol. As of 2022, the project hadn't moved past the proposal stage. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Overview Schiphol Airport Airport Type: Public Schiphol Airport Owner/Operator: Royal Schiphol Group Schiphol Airport Serves: Greater Amsterdam Schiphol Airport Location: Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands Schiphol Airport Opened: 16 September 1916 Schiphol Airport Hub for: KLM KLM Cargo KLM Cityhopper Martinair Schiphol Airport Operating Base or: Corendon Dutch Airlines easyJet Transavia TUI fly Netherlands Vueling Schiphol Airport Elevation AMSL: −11 ft / −3 m Schiphol Airport Coordinates: 52°18′00″N 4°45′54″E Schiphol Airport Runways Direction Length Surface m ft: 18R/36L 3,800 12,467 Asphalt 06/24 3,500 11,483 Asphalt 09/27 3,453 11,329 Asphalt 18L/36R 3,400 11,155 Asphalt 18C/36C 3,300 10,827 Asphalt 04/22 2,014 6,608 Asphalt Schiphol Airport Passengers Statistics (2023): 61,889,586 Schiphol Airport Aircraft Movements: 441,969 Schiphol Airport Freight (tonnes): 1,378,042 Schiphol Airport Economic Impact (2016): $27.3 billion Schiphol Airport Land Area: 2,787 ha | |||||
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