Schiphol expecting peak in winter holiday departures on Friday
Schiphol Airport warned of an expected peak in departing passengers scheduled to fly on Friday. It is the last day before the official holiday period, with many schools planning a day off, and many workers taking an extra vacation day to start the holiday with a long weekend.
Some 71,000 passengers are expected to depart from Schiphol on Friday, not including transferring passengers. Last year, the airport said about 60,000 passengers departed on the busiest days during the same season.
The 2024 holiday covers Christmas and all eight nights of Hanukkah, as well as New Year’s. The last day of the period is on January 5, when a peak of about 66,000 passengers will arrive at the airport outside of Amsterdam.
“Great Britain, Spain and Italy are popular among travellers this Christmas season. Other favoured destinations are the United States, Turkey and Germany,” the airport said. “Rounding out the top 10 list are Switzerland, Portugal, the United Arab Emirates and France.”
An average of 55,000 passengers will depart daily from the airport, an increase of 2,000 compared to a year earlier. On average, some 53,000 people will arrive at Schiphol daily, an increase of a thousand from last year. The airport is also expecting to handle an average of 69,000 transfer passengers per day, up from 61,000 a year ago.
“In total, the airport expects around 3 million travellers this Christmas holiday. This is an increase of 6.7% compared to the same period last year, when 2.8 million passengers travelled via Schiphol,” the airport stated.
“We are ready. We are well staffed and do not expect any problems,” a spokesperson for the airport told ANP.
Those wanting an easy departure out of the airport, especially on busy dates, should book a free time slot to clear security via the airport’s website. Passengers were also advised to follow rules about liquids and gels, which must be limited to 100 ml containers, to dress comfortably, and to keep electronics in their hand luggage at security checkpoints.
Those traveling alone with minors should familiarize themselves with current rules, the airline advised. The airport also reminded people to check in online when possible, look up the expected crowd levels on the Schiphol website, and to arrive either two hours early for most European flights, or three hours before departure for other flights.
