Schiphol Airport’s COO resigns over clashes with Supervisory Board

Schiphol Airport’s chief operations officer, Hanne Buis, will leave her management position at the Amsterdam-area airport as of February 1. She and the Supervisory Board have a fundamental "difference of opinion with regard to the operational management of the airport" that cannot be bridged, according to a statement from Schiphol. Therefore, her employment contract was terminated. Additionally, the airport has hired a top critic from one of its labor unions to be its new head of air cargo.

Hanne Buis started in her role as COO and Management Board member on June 1, 2020. Her term was originally supposed to last four years. In a response to her premature departure, she said she regretted that she and the airport "parted on the basis of this difference." The statement did not elaborate on the nature of her differences with the Supervisory Board.

Jaap Winter, who is the chair of the Supervisory Board of Royal Schiphol Group, said, "It is a pity that this difference of opinion has arisen."

An airport spokeswoman declined to elaborate on the COO’s clashes with the Supervisory Board. "Both parties would like to leave it at this statement," said the spokesperson.

Buis worked for the Royal Schiphol Group for eighteen years. During that time she held various positions, such as the head of Lelystad Airport. Until a new operational director is found, interim CEO Ruud Sondag and financial director Robert Carsouw will take over her COO tasks.

Schiphol reported last week that the limit on the number of travelers that can depart from the airport daily will expire after March. The maximum number of travelers has been in effect since July last year. Schiphol’s frequent negative headlines last year due to long queues and chaotic scenes eventually forced Dick Benschop to resign his position as top executive. That led to the limit being put in place as a way of dealing with staff shortages among the security guards at Schiphol. Those shortages led to long queues that sometimes extended well beyond the departure halls and out into the street, scenes which were first seen at the start of the April/May vacation period.

In the meantime, the airport believes enough security guards have been recruited to prevent last year’s problems from returning as long as the airlines cooperate voluntarily on some scheduling modifications. The airport is still trying to recruit several hundred more security guards.

Schiphol Airport also appointed former union official Joost van Doesburg as head of the air cargo department. Campaigning for the FNV union, Van Doesburg has been critical of the airport for years, with much to say about working conditions for employees and Schiphol's focus on cost-cutting.

In his new role, Van Doesburg must ensure that cargo retains an important place at Schiphol, the airport wrote. His role will include involvement in developing new air cargo facilities during the renovation of Schiphol Zuidoost.

Patricia Vitalis, Director Airport Operations & Aviation Partnerships, recalled all the criticism Van Doesburg said about Schiphol on behalf of the FNV. "We've had the necessary conversations with each other over the years, but the common denominator has always been that we want to make Schiphol a better place for employees and for the Netherlands."

While trying to contend with the staff shortages at the airport, the unions and Schiphol reached a social agreement to ensure structural improvements for employees in areas such as baggage handling and security. The unions also wanted Schiphol partners to be less competitive regarding employment conditions.

"With the conclusion of the social agreement in June 2022, a big step has been made towards an airport that is more considerate of the welfare, employment and working conditions of the thousands of indispensable employees. This change has made my transfer possible," Van Doesburg said of his new job at Schiphol, which begins in March.

About the remarkable switch to the company that Van Doesburg has often been diametrically opposed to before, he stated, "I am not someone who thinks compartmentally. For the past four years I have really given everything for employees at Schiphol. This is a new step and I am going to work for it full of passion and energy." He said he has received many positive reactions from FNV colleagues.