Schiphol could shrink to less than 400,000 flight movements per year, interim CEO warns

Schiphol Airport’s interim CEO Ruud Sondag fears that the decision to suspend the reduction of flight movements at the airport will ultimately lead to even fewer flights than proposed in the downsizing plan, partly due to legal wrangling. “There are parties that say: under 400,000,” he said, responding for the first time in NIeuwsuur to Minister Mark Harbers’ (Infrastructure) decision to put the plans on hold. “I want to warn about that.”

Harbers planned to cut flight movements at Schiphol to 460,000 per year next summer season. The Minister announced last week that he was suspending the plan because it encountered too many legal objections from the United States and Europe.

Schiphol had already said in an initial response that it was disappointed with Harbers’ decision. Interim CEO Sondag reiterated the airport’s position in NIeuwsuur, saying he is disappointed that the residents living around Schiphol are again getting the short end of the stick. At the same time, he fears legal action because people are becoming “angrier and angrier,” he said. “Then things could end up much worse for Schiphol and end up with far fewer flights.”

“There are other places in the Netherlands where the neighbors' interests have been neglected for too long,” he said, referring to gas extraction in Groningen. “Ultimately, no more gas will be mined. I am afraid, which is a really serious signal, that if this escalates further, Schiphol will be at risk of even more downsizing.”

Sondag expects that approximately 435,000 flights will pass through Schiphol this year. Now that the downsizing plan has been suspended, the maximum number of flight movements per year may return to 500,000. But that will not happen due to capacity problems, the interim CEO expects. “I think 460,000 was really asking a lot from the people,” said Sondag. He expects to have more clarity in three weeks about what the airport can handle next year.