Schiphol planning new terminal to expand airport's capacity

Schiphol is preparing the tender for a new terminal to significantly expand the airport’s capacity, Financieele Dagblad reports based on information Schiphol published on tendering platform Tenderned. Terminal Zuid will cost over 1 billion euros, and construction should be completed in 2032.

“At the end of 2021, Schiphol Nederland B.V. decided to have the new terminal built under the name ‘Terminal Zuid,’” the airport wrote on the tender platform. The original plans for the terminal offered room for 14 million extra passengers per year. According to the airport, it needs the extra space to solve the current capacity problems and to renovate other parts of the airport.

The expansion plans seem to be at odds with the Cabinet’s decision to reduce the number of flight movements at Schiphol. At the end of June, Minister Mark Harbers of Infrastructure announced that the number of take-offs and landings will decrease from 500,000 to 440,000 per year from November 2023.

Schiphol’s plans for the terminal are not new. KAAN Architecten was selected to design the terminal in 2017. But the tender for the construction was suspended in 2020 due to the pandemic and related travel restrictions.

According to FD, Schiphol is currently adjusting the terminal's design, adding spaces on both sides for future expansion and moving it further away from the air traffic control tower. Construction should start in 2026, and the 100,000 square meter terminal should open in 2032. Parties can participate in the market consultation until September 9.

Schiphol made no official announcements about restarting this project. In a response, Schiphol told FD that it is thinking about the concept and timing of the terminal, but no investment decision has been made yet.