Schiphol denies reports of Hilton hotel fire risk

Royal Schiphol Group denies reports that the Hilton Hotel on Schiphol is a fire hazard. The safety of guests and employees of the hotel has never been in danger, Royal Schiphol Group said on Friday morning, Financieele Dagblad reports.

On Thursday NRC reported that the facade of the hotel, which opened a year and a half ago, consists largely of fire hazardous panels. The newspaper based this assertion on statements by construction workers, who said that they were hired to replace the facade boards due to "fire hazard". A fire safety expert hired by Schiphol also told the newspaper that the safety of the hotel is "not a issue".

On Friday Schiphol said that the NRC article is "careless, incomplete and incorrect", according to FD. Though the airport also acknowledged that additional measures were taken to exclude all risks. Additional fire safety tests were done on part of the hotel's facade, and it revealed that a composite cover plate did not meet the legal requirements.

The additional measures Schiphol took include replacing the composite cover plate with aluminum panels, a continuous video view of the facade and an improved evacuation protocol.

Schiphol also resents the fact that NRC associated Hilton Amsterdam Airport with the tragic fire in London on June 14th, according to FD. A large number of people were killed when the facade of an apartment building caught fire. So far the authorities confirmed around 80 deaths, but that count is expected to increase.