Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
| Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Luchthaven Schiphol |
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| IATA: AMS – ICAO: EHAM | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Owner | Schiphol Group | ||
| Serves | Amsterdam, Netherlands | ||
| Elevation AMSL | -11 ft / -3 m | ||
| Website |
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| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 18R/36L | 12,467 | 3,800 | Asphalt |
| 06/24 | 11,483 | 3,500 | Asphalt |
| 09/27 | 11,329 | 3,453 | Asphalt |
| 18L/36R | 11,155 | 3,400 | Asphalt |
| 18C/36C | 10,826 | 3,300 | Asphalt |
| 04/22 | 6,608 | 2,014 | Asphalt |
| Sources: Airport website[1] and AIP[2] | |||
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (IATA: AMS, ICAO: EHAM) is the Netherlands' main airport, located 20 minutes (17.5 km or 10.8 miles) southwest of Amsterdam, in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer. The airport's official English name, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, places the words in the Dutch order (Luchthaven Schiphol) instead of Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. The airport also had the IATA code of SPL but this has fallen into disuse.
Contents |
Description
Schiphol is an important European airport, competing in passenger and cargo throughput with London Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom, Frankfurt International Airport in Germany, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in France and Madrid Barajas International Airport in Spain. In 2007, Schiphol handled 47,793,602 passengers, ranking fifth in Europe behind London, Paris, Frankfurt and Madrid. There are 188 loading slots in the whole airport.[3] About 68% of the passenger flights were to Europe, almost 21% of its passengers travelled on intercontinental flights and 11% to Asia; cargo was mainly headed to Asia (44%) and North America (20%)[4] In the same year, Schiphol handled 1,566,828 tons of cargo, ranked third in Europe behind Paris and Frankfurt.[5] In 2005 direct flights were operated to more than 260 destinations in 91 countries. The airport currently is one out of six airports in the world to have a rating of four stars in to Skytrax's grading system.[6]
Schiphol has five main runways, plus one used mainly by general aviation aircraft. The latest of these, the Polderbaan (nicknamed the "fifth runway", although it is really the sixth if we include the small runway) was completed in 2003. Plans have already been made for a seventh runway.
The airport has been built as one large terminal, which is split into three large departure halls, which converge again once airside. The most recent of these was completed in 1994, and expanded in 2007 with a new part, named Terminal 4, although this part can not be recognised as a separate building. Plans for further terminal expansion exist: most notably, there are plans to construct a separate new terminal between the Zwanenburgbaan and Polderbaan runways. This would end the one-terminal concept. However, these long-existing plans have not materialised yet.
Because of intense traffic and high landing fees, some low cost carriers decided to move their flights to smaller airports, such as Rotterdam and Eindhoven. However, especially with the low-cost H-pier becoming operational, many low cost carriers (like easyJet, SkyEurope, and bmibaby) continue to operate from Schiphol.
Schiphol is the home base of KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines), Martinair and Transavia, and a hub for Northwest Airlines in cooperation with KLM.
The Schiphol Air traffic control tower, with a height of 101 m, was the tallest in the world when constructed in 1991. Schiphol is geographiclly the world's lowest major commercial airport. The entire airport is below sea level; the lowest point which sits at eleven feet below sea level (4.5 meters below Normaal Amsterdams Peil) and the runways are around 3m below Normaal Amsterdams Peil.[7][8]
History
Schiphol started out on Sep 16, 1916, as a military airbase, consisting only of a few barracks and a field serving as both platform and runways. When civil aircraft started to make use of the field (Dec 17, 1920), it was often called Schiphol-les-bains. The Fokker aircraft manufacturer started a factory near Schiphol airport in 1951.
Schiphol's name is derived from a former fortification named Fort Schiphol which was part of the Stelling van Amsterdam defence works.[9] Before 1852, the Haarlemmermeer polder in which the airport lies was a large lake, in the shallow waters of which sudden violent storms could claim many ships. This indeed was the main reason for reclaiming it. In English, Schiphol translates to 'Ship Hole', a reference to the amount of ships lost in the area.
Schiphol has won more than 120 prizes over the years. In 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1990 and 2003, it was voted the best airport in the world. It was honoured with the title of "Best European Airport" during 15 consecutive years (1988-2003) and has won a lot more prizes, including "Best Business Travel Airport". This is not only because of its usually perfectly organized operations, but also because of its high number of international and intercontinental flights.
Accidents
- November 14, 1946 - A Douglas C-47 operated by KLM coming from London approached Schiphol during bad weather conditions. The first two attempts to land failed. During the third the pilot realized that the airplane wasn't lined up properly with the runway. A sharp left turn was made at low speed, causing the left wing to hit the ground. The airplane crashed and caught fire, killing all 26 people on board, including the plane's crew of five.
- October 4, 1992 - El Al Flight 1862, a Boeing 747 cargo airplane heading to Tel Aviv, suffered from physical engine separation of both right-wing engines (#3 and #4) just after taking off from Schiphol and crashed into an apartment building in the Bijlmer neighbourhood of Amsterdam while attempting to return to the airport. A total of 47 people were killed, including the plane's crew of three and a "nonrevenue passenger". Many more were injured.
- April 4, 1994 - Flight KL433 to Cardiff, a Saab 340 operated by KLM Cityhopper, returned to Schiphol after setting the number two engine to flight idle because the crew mistakenly believed that the engine suffered from low oil pressure, this because of a faulty warning light. On final approach at a height of 90 feet, the captain decided to go-around and gave full throttle, however only on the number one engine leaving the other in flight idle. Because of this, the airplane rolled to the right, pitched up, stalled and hit the ground at 80 degrees bank. Of the twenty-four people on board, three were killed including the captain. Nine others were seriously injured.
- October 27, 2005 - A fire broke out at the airport's detention center, killing 11 people and injuring 15. The complex was holding 350 people at the time of the incident. Results from the investigation almost one year later showed that fire safety precautions were not (or never) in force. There was a national outrage resulting in the resignation of Justice Minister Donner (CDA) and Mayor Hartog of Haarlemmermeer. Spatial Planning Minister Dekker (VVD) resigned as well, because she bears responsibility for the construction, safety and maintenance of state-owned buildings.
Infrastructure
Schiphol has large shopping areas as a source of revenue and as an additional attraction for air-carrier passengers. Schiphol Plaza is the shopping centre before customs, hence it is not only for air travellers, but also for non-travelling visitors.
The Rijksmuseum also operates an annex at the airport, offering a small overview of both classical and contemporary art.[10]
Schiphol also has its own mortuary, where deceased people can be handled and kept before departure or after arrival. Since October 2006 people can also get married at Schiphol and go straight to their honeymoon.
For aviation enthusiasts, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has a viewing platform, named the Panorama Terrace. At this time the Panorama Terrace cannot be accessed by connecting passengers. As well as the Panorama Terrace, Schiphol is a popular spotting site from various locations at the famous Polderbaan runway.[11]
Railway
The Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), the national Dutch train operator, has a major passenger train station directly underneath the passenger terminal complex. Besides intercity connections to Amsterdam, Utrecht, The Hague, Rotterdam and Eindhoven, this station also is a stop for the international high-speed train Thalys, connecting the airport with a direct train connection to Antwerp, Brussels and Paris.
Terminals and destinations
Schiphol is deploying a one terminal concept, where all facilities are located under one single roof. The areas though, are divided into three sections or halls: 1, 2 and 3. To all of these halls, piers or concourses are connected. However, it is possible, on both sides of security or customs, to walk from one pier to another, even if they are connected to different halls. The exception to this is the low-cost pier M: once you are airside (i.e. you passed security), you cannot go to any of the other halls or piers. When changing between Schengen and non-Schengen areas, there is immigration control.
Piers B and C are dedicated Schengen areas. Pier E, F and G are dedicated non-Schengen areas. Piers D and H/M are mixed piers, using the same gate positions for Schengen and non-Schengen flights.
Pier D has two floor levels. The lower floor is used for non-Schengen flights, the upper floor is used for Schengen flights. By using stairs, the same jetways are used to access the aircraft. Schengen gates are numbered D-59 and up, non-Schengen gates are numbered from D-1 to D-59.
Piers H and M, the low-cost pier, share the same construction. Here, the H-gates are non-Schengen gates, the M-gates are Schengen gates. Both areas are on the same level.
NOTE: The airlines and destinations listed are not definite; very few airlines have a daily pier; this is based on regularity.
Departure Hall 1
Pier B
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Alitalia | Milan-Linate, Rome-Fiumicino |
| Austrian Airlines | Vienna |
| Clickair | Barcelona, Sevilla |
| Finnair | Helsinki |
| Iberia | Madrid |
| Icelandair | Reykjavik-Keflavík |
| Lufthansa | Frankfurt |
| Lufthansa CityLine | Hamburg, Munich |
| Olympic Airlines | Athens |
| Scandinavian Airlines | Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm-Arlanda |
| TAP Portugal | Faro, Funchal, Lisbon, Porto |
| transavia.com | See Departure Hall 3 |
| Vueling Airlines | Barcelona, Málaga, Sevilla, Valencia |
Pier C
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air France | Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice, Lyon, Paris-Charles De Gaulle |
| KLM | Various Shorthaul (mostly Schengen treaty destinations) |
| LOT Polish Airlines | Warsaw |
| Meridiana | Florence, Turin |
| transavia.com | See Departure Hall 3 |
| VLM Airlines | London-City |
Departure Hall 2
Pier D
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | Belfast-International, Cork, Dublin |
| Aer Arann | Galway, Waterford [ends start of january 2009] |
| Aeroflot | Moscow-Sheremetyevo |
| Air Astana | Almaty, Atyrau |
| AirBaltic | Riga |
| Armavia | Yerevan |
| Atlas Blue | Nador, Oujda, Tanger |
| bmi | London-Heathrow |
| British Airways | London-Gatwick, London-Heathrow |
| British Airways operated by BA CityFlyer |
London-City |
| British Airways operated by OpenSkies |
New York-JFK |
| Bulgaria Air | Sofia |
| Croatia Airlines | Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Pula |
| Czech Airlines | Prague |
| Cyprus Airways | Larnaca, Paphos |
| FlyLal | Vilnius |
| Jat Airways | Belgrade |
| KLM | Aberdeen, Athens, Bahrain, Barcelona, Bergen, Berlin-Tegel, Birmingham, Bucharest-Otopeni, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Geneva, Glasgow-International, Helsinki, Istanbul-Atatürk, Kiev-Boryspil, Lisbon, London-Heathrow, Luxembourg, Madrid, Manchester, Milan-Linate, Milan-Malpensa, Moscow-Sheremetyevo, Munich, Nice, Oslo, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Prague, Rome-Fiumicino, St. Petersburg, Stockholm-Arlanda, Stuttgart, Tallinn, Tehran-Imam Khomeini, Thessaloniki, Venice, Vienna, Warsaw, Zürich (Non-Schengen leave from one half of D, Schengen leave from the other) |
| KLM operated by KLM Cityhopper |
Aberdeen, Bergen, Billund, Bologna, Bremen, Bristol, Brussels, Cardiff, Cologne/Bonn, Durham Tees Valley, Düsseldorf, Edinburgh, Eindhoven, Frankfurt, Glasgow-International, Hamburg, Hanover, Humberside, Kristiansand, Leeds/Bradford, Linköping, Liverpool [begins March 30], London-City, Luxembourg, Manchester, Munich, Newcastle, Nice, Norwich, Nuremberg, Riga, Sandefjord, Stavanger, Toulouse, Trondheim, Zürich |
| Malév Hungarian Airlines | Budapest |
| Martinair | Various shorthaul |
| Rossiya | St. Petersburg |
| Royal Air Maroc | Casablanca, Tangier |
| transavia.com | See Departure Hall 3 |
| Ukraine International Airlines | Kiev-Boryspil |
Pier E
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Cathay Pacific | Hong Kong |
| China Southern Airlines | Beijing, Guangzhou |
| EVA Air | Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Taipei-Taoyuan |
| Japan Airlines | Tokyo-Narita |
| KLM | Abu Dhabi, Abuja, Accra, Addis Ababa, Almaty, Aruba, Atlanta, Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Beijing, Bonaire, Cairo, Cape Town, Chengdu, Chicago-O'Hare, Curaçao, Dallas/Fort Worth, Damascus, Dammam, Dar es Salaam, Delhi, Detroit, Doha, Dubai, Entebbe, Guayaquil, Hong Kong, Houston-Intercontinental, Hyderabad (Ends February 1), Jakarta, Johannesburg, Kano, Karachi [resumes 2009], Khartoum, Kilimanjaro, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, Lagos, Lima, Los Angeles, Luanda [begins late 2008, pending government approval], Manila, Mexico City, Montréal, Muscat, Mumbai, Nairobi, New York-JFK, Osaka-Kansai, Panama City, Paramaribo, Quito, San Francisco, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Seoul-Incheon, Shanghai-Pudong, Singapore, Sint Maarten, Taipei-Taoyuan, Tehran-Imam Khomeini, Tel Aviv, Tokyo-Narita, Toronto-Pearson, Tripoli, Vancouver, Washington-Dulles |
| KLM operated by PrivatAir | Houston-Intercontinental |
| Northwest Airlines | Boston, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Mumbai, New York-JFK, Newark, Portland (OR), Seattle/Tacoma, Washington-Dulles |
| Singapore Airlines | Singapore |
Departure Hall 3
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| transavia.com | Agadir, Alicante, Algiers, Antalya, Banjul, Barcelona, Bergerac, Berlin-Tegel, Bodrum, Corfu, Dalaman, Djerba, Dubrovnik, Faro, Fuerteventura, Funchal, Heraklion, Izmir, Kefalonia, Kos, Kithira, La Palma, Las Palmas, Lesbos, Lisbon, Malaga, Marrakech, Milan-Orio, Monastir, Montpellier, Nice, Ohrid, Oslo, Pau-Pyrenées, Pisa, Prevesa, Reus, Tel Aviv, Tenerife, Treviso, Valencia, Zakinthos (Most flights depart from Pier D) |
Pier F
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Adria Airways | Ljubljana |
| China Airlines | Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Taipei-Taiwan Taoyuan |
| Georgian Airways | Tbilisi |
| Kenya Airways | Nairobi |
| KLM | See Pier E |
| Malaysia Airlines | Kuala Lumpur |
| Northwest Airlines | See Pier E |
| Royal Jordanian | Amman |
| Syrian Arab Airlines | Damascus |
Pier G
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Afriqiyah Airways | Tripoli |
| Air Transat | Calgary, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver |
| Arkefly | Antalya, Aruba, Banjul, Bonaire, Cancun, Fortaleza, Hurghada, Luxor, Monastir, Montego Bay, Natal, Holguin, Porlamar, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, Sharm el Sheikh, Sint Maarten, Varadero |
| Arkia | Tel Aviv |
| Continental Airlines | Houston-Intercontinental, Newark |
| Delta Air Lines | Atlanta, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky [seasonal], New York-JFK |
| EgyptAir | Cairo |
| El Al | Tel Aviv |
| Fly Air | Antalya, Bodrum |
| Inter Airlines | Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman |
| Iran Air | Tehran-Imam Khomeini |
| Israir | Tel Aviv |
| Korean Air | Madrid, Seoul-Incheon |
| Martinair | Aruba, Cancun, Curaçao, Havana, Miami, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, San José (CR), San Juan (PR), Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver, Varadero |
| Onur Air | Ankara, Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman, Istanbul-Atatürk, Izmir |
| Pakistan International Airlines | Islamabad, Istanbul-Atatürk |
| Pegasus Airlines | Antalya |
| Royal Air Maroc | Casablanca, Tanger |
| Surinam Airways | Paramaribo |
| Swiss International Airlines | Basel/Mulhouse, Zürich |
| TACV | Sal |
| transavia.com | See Departure Hall 3 |
| Turkish Airlines | Ankara, Istanbul-Atatürk, Kayseri [seasonal] |
| Tunisair | Tunis |
| United Airlines | Chicago-O'Hare, Washington-Dulles |
| US Airways | Philadelphia |
Pier H
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Aer Arann | Galway, Waterford |
| bmibaby | Birmingham, Cardiff, East Midlands, Manchester [begins 29 March] |
| easyJet | Belfast-International, Bristol, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London-Gatwick, London-Luton, London-Stansted |
| easyJet operated by easyJet Switzerland |
Basel/Mulhouse, Geneva |
| Flybe | Exeter, Southampton |
| Jet2.com | Leeds/Bradford |
| Sky Airlines | Antalya |
Pier M
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| airberlin | Palma de Mallorca [seasonal] |
| easyJet | Milan-Malpensa |
| SkyEurope | Prague, Vienna |
| Windjet | Forli (begins summer 2009) |
Cargo airlines
- Asiana Cargo
- Atlas Air
- Cargolux
- Cathay Pacific Cargo (Dragonair)
- China Airlines Cargo
- China Southern Cargo
- DHL
- El Al Cargo Airlines
- Emirates SkyCargo
- Empost
- Gemini Air Cargo
- Great Wall Airlines
- Gulf Air Cargo
- Jade Cargo
- JAL Cargo
- Kalitta Air
- KLM Cargo
- LAN Cargo
- Martinair Cargo
- MASKargo
- Nippon Cargo Airlines
- Northwest Cargo
- Polar Air Cargo
- Qatar Air Cargo
- Saudi Arabian Airlines Cargo
- Singapore Airlines Cargo
- TNT Air Cargo
- VarigLog
- Volga-Dnepr (including subsidiary AirBridgeCargo Airlines)
Airport Schiphol in media
In the 1983 book Floodgate by Alistair MacLean, Schiphol is subject to a terrorist attack, in which the entire airport is flooded, after an explosion of the surrounding dikes.
References
- ↑ Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (official site)
- ↑ EHAM – AMSTERDAM/Schiphol. AIP from AIS the Netherlands, effective 25 Sep 2008.
- ↑ "Passenger Traffic 2006 FINAL". Airports Council International (2007-07-18).
- ↑ "Annual report Schiphol Group 2007". Schipholgroup.
- ↑ "Cargo Traffic 2006 FINAL". Airports Council International (2007-07-18).
- ↑ "Airport Star Ranking - 4 Star Airports". Skytrax (2007). Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
- ↑ Tourist Information on buildings and water managment, note that most of the runways are at 3m below NAP
- ↑ Algemeen Hoogtebestand Nederlands, official elevation map by the Ministry of Water and Transport
- ↑ (Dutch) Stelling van Amsterdam - Fort van het Schiphol
- ↑ Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Schiphol
- ↑ Schiphol Airport (AMS/EHAM), Amsterdam Airport Technology
External links
- Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (official site) (Dutch) (English)
- Fire Brigade Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
- Schiphol Mortuary (Dutch only)
- Resources for this airport:
- Airport information for EHAM at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.. Source: DAFIF.
- Airport information for AMS at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective Oct. 2006).
- Current weather for EHAM at NOAA/NWS
- Accident history for AMS at Aviation Safety Network
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