Airlines want to move some Schiphol flights to Rotterdam; Groningen also available

Rotterdam The Hague Airport has received an official request from several airlines to allow them to move their flights from Schiphol to the regional airport. The requests came from airlines that operate holiday flights, a spokesperson said, without wanting to say which airline companies were involved. According to the spokesperson, "a decision on the request does not have to take very long.”

Relocating flights should relieve the pressure on Schiphol Airport, which is suffering from staff shortages, especially in security. This forces travelers to stand waiting in long queues for an extended amount of time. Nevertheless, Rotterdam The Hague Airport said it can take over "at most a few flights a day" from Schiphol Airport in the near future.

"The possibilities we have are limited, both in terms of noise standards and in terms of staffing," the spokesperson said. At the beginning of this month, the regional airport took over eleven flights from Schiphol spread over two days.

Schiphol presented an action plan last week to counteract large crowds at the airport during the summer period. This included the recruitment of  additional staff, like security guards. Schiphol said it was striving to ensure that the number of flights and passengers does not exceed the capacity of the available staff. To this end, planning must be better coordinated with airlines, and flights must also be moved to regional airports.

Groningen can take 20 more flights per day

Groningen Airport Eelde can take over up to twenty flights per day from Schiphol in the coming period, said the airport’s director, Meitje de Groot. The airport is discussing this with Schiphol and the airlines.

"We can easily scale up before the summer season if we know in time," said De Groot. "We must jointly look at how we can resolve this," she said. De Groot was speaking not only as the regional airport’s director, but also as the chair of the Dutch Association of Airports (NVL). De Groot believes that the long-term role of Schiphol should also be considered. "Freight flights or holiday flights can be handled perfectly by region."

The personnel problems that Schiphol faces are of less importance at Groningen Airport Eelde. De Groot said she still receives enough responses to vacancies the airport has published.