Busy at Schiphol: travelers must expect queues but waiting time is no more than 30 minutes

Travelers departing Schiphol Airport on Sunday should expect queues, according to a spokesperson, although waiting times are not very long. As on Saturday, the first weekend of the May holiday will be busy at Schiphol. Overall, the airport expects more than 70,000 departing passengers on Sunday.

By 09:00 a.m., nearly a third of departing passengers had already passed through security. "A smooth start with a lot of activity," the spokesperson said. Even though there are full departure halls, there is a good flow, according to the spokesperson. "At peak times, people are waiting in line for a maximum of half an hour." That picture is similar to Saturday's, when Schiphol expected about 65,000 departing passengers.

Schiphol was already expecting crowds and therefore queues at the airport. However, the airport does not expect the queues to be as long as last year. Back then, the queues were even outside of the departure hall, so that some travelers even missed their flight. To keep the crowds in check, Schiphol is deploying more security personnel. In addition, travelers are also being asked to prepare for security checks.

Schiphol expects to handle an average of 66,000 departing passengers per day during the May holidays. On peak days, such as the first weekend of the vacations, that number can rise to well over 70,000. Last year, an average of 58,000 passengers a day left the airport during the May holidays. Before the coronavirus crisis, that number averaged 72,000 per day.