Court rules Schiphol wrong to end A-pier contract early; airport considers next steps

Schiphol may still face significant costs related to a 2021-terminated contract with construction firms Ballast Nedam and TAV for the A-pier. The airport ended the collaboration early due to dissatisfaction with quality and progress, but Amsterdam’s court ruled the shortcomings weren’t severe enough to justify termination. The parties will now try to reach a settlement; otherwise, the court will decide.

Schiphol and BN/TAV, a joint venture of Ballast Nedam and TAV, clashed in court in early April. The construction firms blamed delays and issues on Schiphol’s lack of a finalized design, a point the court sided with. The judge also considered the impact of the contract termination on numerous subcontractors.

Construction of the A-pier began in 2018 and was originally scheduled for completion in 2020. After delays, BAM took over the project in 2022 and is expected to finish by the end of next year.

Schiphol estimated last year that the project would cost nearly 1.4 billion euros, more than double the original estimate from years earlier.

In 2023, BN/TAV, a joint venture of Ballast Nedam and TAV, filed a lawsuit demanding hundreds of millions of euros in additional costs and damages. Schiphol, on the other hand, claims it overpaid by 60 million euros and is seeking repayment.

Schiphol disagrees with the court ruling and is considering its next steps. The airport calls the judge’s decision “extremely disappointing,” especially since it continues to experience the consequences of the cooperation with Ballast Nedam-TAV.

Schiphol remains convinced that BN-TAV seriously fell short in quality, execution, and progress during the A-pier construction. The airport also notes that its claims against the construction firms are not off the table despite the ruling.