Schiphol says it's ready for summer: 26% more passengers expected daily versus 2022

Schiphol Airport is expecting a 26 percent increase in the number of passengers departing from the Amsterdam-area facility during the upcoming summer holiday compared to 2022. The airport said it is preparing to handle an average of 68,000 passengers passengers per day, with over 77,000 expected on peak days. The dates expected to be the busiest include July 8, when the central school region begins its holiday, July 15, when the southern Netherlands begins its vacation, and July 22, when those in the northern region kick off their summer break.

The average passenger total will be closer to the pre-Covid levels, with London, Istanbul and Barcelona the most popular destinations this summer. During the 2019 summer school holiday, the airport averaged 73,000 departures per day. However, last year, the daily average sat at 54,000, the result of chaotic scenes at the airport in the months prior. After many coronavirus restrictions were lifted last year, people took to the sky in droves during the April and May school holiday, but before Schiphol had boosted staffing levels and increased operational capacity.

That led to scenes of intense overcrowding at the airport, as passengers routinely missed flights due to waiting in hours-long lines to clear security. To get a grip on the situation, Schiphol forced airlines to restrict the number of passengers departing from the airport. The airlines accomplished this by moving some flights to regional airports, consolidating flights, cancelling flights, and restricting the number of seats they sold. When the situation continued for months, the airport's CEO, Dick Benschop, resigned.

The airport claimed on Tuesday that the situation will be far better than a year earlier. "Figures show that 90% of travellers went through the security check within 5-10 minutes during the May holiday. That was due to the recruitment of around one thousand new security officers, but also because travellers were well prepared," the airport wrote in a statement.

At the same time, the airport was struggling to come to grips with the result of a baggage system malfunction last Wednesday. Thousands of pieces of luggage remained at the airport on Monday, with many passengers receiving little information about when they might receive their bags nearly a week later.

Schiphol advised passengers to monitor when their check-in desk opens up, and to follow Schiphol's updated information about expected crowds at security. Passengers were also told to arrive on time based on their airline's advice, but not too early, either. For the most part, all electronics, liquids, and filled water bottles can remain in bags when entering security checkpoints.

Passengers should check in on line where possible, make sure their passports are valid, and check rules about travelling alone with a minor. Anyone flying with KLM, Transavia or TUI can use the baggage drop-off location and check in for their flight at the P3 car park before boarding the shuttle bus.