Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Luchthaven Schiphol
IATA: AMS – ICAO: EHAM
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Schiphol Group
Operator	Schiphol Group
Serves	Amsterdam, Netherlands
Location	Haarlemmermeer
Hub for	Arke Corendon Dutch Airlines Delta Air Lines[1] Easyjet KLM KLM Cityhopper Martinair Cargo Transavia Vueling
Elevation AMSL	-11 ft / −3 m
Coordinates	52°18′29″N 004°45′51″E / 52.30806°N 4.76417°E / 52.30806; 4.76417Coordinates: 52°18′29″N 004°45′51″E / 52.30806°N 4.76417°E / 52.30806; 4.76417
Website	schiphol.com
Map
AMS Location within Greater Amsterdam
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 18R/36L 'Polderbaan' 3,800 12,467 Asphalt 06/24 'Kaagbaan' 3,500 11,483 Asphalt 09/27 'Buitenveldertbaan' 3,450 11,319 Asphalt 18L/36R 'Aalsmeerbaan' 3,400 11,155 Asphalt 18C/36C 'Zwanenburgbaan' 3,300 10,827 Asphalt 04/22 'Oostbaan' 2,014 6,608 Asphalt
Statistics (2014)
Passengers 54,978,023 Freight (tonnes) 1,633,195 Aircraft movements 438,296 Economic & social impact $27.3 billion[2]
Sources: CBS[3] Schiphol Group[4] and AIP[5]

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (Dutch: Luchthaven Schiphol, Dutch pronunciation: [ˈlʏχtˌɦaːvə(n) ˈsχɪpɦɔlˤ]) (IATA: AMS, ICAO: EHAM) is the main international airport of the Netherlands, located 4.9 nautical miles (9.1 km; 5.6 mi)^[5] southwest of Amsterdam, in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer. It is the fifth busiest airport in Europe in terms of passengers. The airport is built as one large terminal (a single-terminal concept), split into three large departure halls.

Schiphol is the primary hub for KLM^[6] and its regional affiliate KLM Cityhopper as well as for Arkefly,^[7] Corendon Dutch Airlines,^[8] Martinair,^[9] and Transavia.^[10] The airport also serves as a hub for Easyjet and as a European hub for Delta Air Lines^[1] and as a base for Vueling.^[11]

Schiphol opened on 16 September 1916 as a military airbase. The end of the First World War also saw the beginning of civilian use of Schiphol Airport and the airport eventually lost its military role completely. By 1940, Schiphol had four asphalt runways at 45-degree angles. The airport was captured by the German military that same year and renamed Fliegerhorst Schiphol. The airport was destroyed through bombing but at the end of the war, the airfield was restored quickly. In 1949 and it was decided that Schiphol was to become the primary airport of the Netherlands. The airport's official English name, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, reflects the original Dutch word order (Luchthaven Schiphol).

Description

Schiphol is an important European airport, ranking as Europe's 4th busiest and the world's 14th busiest by total passenger traffic in 2013 (16th in 2012). It also ranks as the world's 6th busiest by international passenger traffic and the world's 16th busiest for cargo tonnage. 52.569 million passengers passed through the airport in 2013, a 3% increase compared with 2012.^[4] Schiphol's main competitors in terms of passenger traffic and cargo throughput are London Heathrow Airport, Frankfurt Airport, Paris–Charles de Gaulle Airport and Madrid–Barajas Airport.

In 2010, 65.9% of passengers using the airport flew to and from Europe, 11.7% to and from North America and 8.8% to and from Asia; cargo volume was mainly between Schiphol and Asia (45%) and North America (17%).^[12]

In 2010, 106 carriers provided a total of 301 destinations on a regular basis. Passenger destinations were offered by 91 airlines. Direct (non-stop) destinations grew by 9 to 274. Regular destinations serviced exclusively by full freighters (non-passenger) grew by 8 to a total of 27.^[13]

The airport is built as one large terminal (a single-terminal concept), split into three large departure halls, which connect again once airside. The most recent of these was completed in 1994, and expanded in 2007 with a new section, called Terminal 4, although it is not considered a separate building. Plans for further terminal expansion exist, including the construction of a separate new terminal between the Zwanenburgbaan and Polderbaan runways that would end the one-terminal concept.

Because of intense traffic and high landing fees, some low-cost carriers decided to move their flights to smaller airports, such as Rotterdam The Hague Airport and Eindhoven Airport. Many low-cost carriers, such as EasyJet, however, continue to operate from Schiphol, using the low-cost H-pier.

Schiphol is equipped with 18 double jetway gates in preparation for airlines introducing the Airbus A380. Emirates was the first airline to fly the A380 to Schiphol in August 2012, deploying the aircraft on its daily Dubai–Amsterdam service.^[14] China Southern Airlines have announced that they will start serving Amsterdam with an A380 daily from Summer 2015.

History

Schiphol's name is derived from a former fortification named Fort Schiphol which was part of the Stelling van Amsterdam defence works.^[15] Before 1852, the Haarlemmermeer polder in which the airport lies was a large lake with some shallow areas. There are multiple stories of how the place got its name. The most popular story is that in the shallow waters sudden violent storms could claim many ships. This was the main reason for reclaiming it. In English, Schiphol translates to 'Ship Grave', a reference to many ships supposedly lost in the lake. When the lake was reclaimed, however, no ship wrecks were found. Another possible origin of the name is the word 'scheepshaal'. A scheepshaal is a ditch or little canal in which ships would be towed from one lake to another. A third explanation would be that the name derived from the words 'scip hol'. This is a low lying area of land (hol, like in the name Holland) from where wood would be obtained to build ships.^[16]

Schiphol opened on 16 September 1916 as a military airbase, with a few barracks and a field serving as platform and runways. When civil aircraft started to use the field (17 December 1920) it was often called Schiphol-les-bains. The Fokker aircraft manufacturer started a factory near Schiphol airport in 1919.^[17] The end of the First World War also saw the beginning of civilian use of Schiphol Airport and the airport eventually lost its military role completely.

By 1940, Schiphol had four asphalt runways at 45-degree angles, all 1,020 metres (3,350 ft) or less. One was extended to become today's runway 04/22; two others crossed that runway at 52°18′43″N 4°48′00″E / 52.312°N 4.800°E / 52.312; 4.800. The airport was captured by the German military that same year and renamed Fliegerhorst Schiphol. A large amount of anti-aircraft defences were installed in the vicinity of the airport and fake decoy airfields were constructed in the vicinity near Bennebroek, Vijfhuizen and Vogelenzang in an attempt to confuse allied bombers. A railway connection was also constructed. Despite these defences, the airfield was still bombed intensively, and an exceptionally heavy attack on 13 December 1943 caused so much damage that it rendered the airfield unusable as an active base. After that it served only as an emergency landing field, until the Germans themselves destroyed the remainders of the airfield at the start of Operation Market Garden. At the end of the war, the airfield was restored quickly, with the first aircraft, a Douglas DC-3, landing again on 8 July 1945.^[18]

A new terminal building was completed in 1949 and it was decided that Schiphol was to become the primary airport of the Netherlands. Expansion came at the cost of a small town called Rijk, which was demolished to make room for the growing airport. The name of this town is remembered in the name of the present Schiphol-Rijk industrial estate. In 1967, Dutch designer Benno Wissing created signage for Schiphol Airport well known for its clear writing and thorough color-coding; to avoid confusion, he prohibited any other signage in the shades of yellow and green used.^[19] This was part of the new terminal building which replaced the older facilities once located on what is now the east side of the airport. The A-Pier of the airport was modified in 1970 to allow Boeing 747 aircraft to make use of the boarding gates.

The construction of a new Air Traffic Control tower was completed in 1991 as the existing tower could no longer oversee all of the airport. New wayfinding signage was designed that year as well by Paul Mijksenaar.^[20] A sixth runway was completed at quite some distance west of the rest of airport in 2003 and was nicknamed the Polderbaan, with the connecting taxiway crossing the A4 motorway. The distance of this runway means that taxi times to and from this runway can take between 10 and 20 minutes. It also required the construction of an additional Air Traffic Control tower as the primary tower is too far away to oversee this part of the airfield.^[21]

On 25 February 2005, a diamond robbery occurred at Schiphol's cargo terminal. The robbers used a stolen KLM van to gain airside access. The estimated value of the stones was around 75 million euros, making it one of the largest diamond robberies ever.^[22] Later that year a fire broke out at the airport's detention centre, 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 in force. A national outrage resulted in the resignation of Justice Minister Donner (CDA) and Mayor Hartog of Haarlemmermeer. Spatial Planning Minister Dekker (VVD) resigned as well, because she bore responsibility for the construction, safety, and maintenance of state-owned buildings.

Infrastructure

Terminal

Schiphol uses a one terminal concept, where all facilities are located under a single roof, radiating from the central plaza. The terminal, though, is divided into three sections or halls designated 1, 2 and 3. To all of these halls, piers or concourses are connected. However, it is possible, on both sides of security or border inspection, to walk from between piers, even those connected to different halls. The exception to this is the low-cost pier M: once airside (past security), passengers cannot access any other areas. Border control separates Schengen from non-Schengen areas. Schiphol Airport has approximately 165 boarding gates.

Schiphol has large shopping areas as a source of revenue and as an additional attraction for passengers. Schiphol Plaza is the shopping centre before customs, hence it is used by air travelers and non-traveling visitors.

Departure Hall 1

Departure Hall 1 consists of Piers B and C, both of which are dedicated Schengen areas. Pier B has 14 gates and Pier C has 21 gates.

Departure Hall 2

Departure Hall 2 consists of Piers D and E.

Pier D is the largest pier and has two levels. The lower floor houses non-Schengen flights, and the upper floor is used for Schengen flights. By using stairs, the same jetways are used to access the aircraft. Schengen gates are numbered beginning with D-59, non-Schengen gates are numbered from D-1 to D-57.

Pier E is a dedicated non-Schengen area and has 14 gates. It is typically home to SkyTeam hub airlines Delta Air Lines and KLM, along with other members, such as China Airlines and China Southern Airlines. Other Middle Eastern and Asian airlines such as EVA Air, Etihad Airways, Iran Air, Air Astana, and Malaysia Airlines also typically operate out of Pier E.

Departure Hall 3

Departure Hall 3 consists of piers F, G, H and M. Pier F has 8 gates and is typically dominated by SkyTeam members such as primary airline KLM, Kenya Airways, and other members, such as China Airlines and China Southern Airlines. Pier G has 13 gates and is the only terminal that handles daily Airbus A380 service, by Emirates. Piers H and M have 7 gates each and are home to low-cost airlines. Piers F, G and H are non-Schengen areas. Pier M is a dedicated Schengen area.

General Aviation Terminal

A new General Aviation Terminal was opened in 2011 on the east side of the airport, operated as the KLM Jet Center. The new terminal building has a floorspace of 6,000 m² (65,000 sq ft); 1,000 m² (11,000 sq ft) for the actual terminal and lounges, 4,000 m² (43,000 sq ft) for office space and 1,000 m² (11,000 sq ft) for parking.^[23] Due to the high traffic volume of Schiphol and the surrounding airspace, a slot must be requested for both inbound and outbound General Aviation flights, with an exception of state, emergency and humanitarian flights.^[24]

Further facilities

The Rijksmuseum operates an annex at the airport, offering a small overview of both classical and contemporary art.^[25] Admission to the exhibits is free. The airport museum is closed until the end of 2015, due to refurbishment.

In summer 2010, Schiphol Airport Library opened alongside the museum, providing passengers access to a collection of 1,200 books (translated into 29 languages) by Dutch authors or on subjects relating to the country's history and culture. The 89.9 m² (968 sq ft) library offers e-books and music by Dutch artists and composers that can be downloaded free of charge to a laptop or mobile device.^[26] The Schiphol Airport Library closed in Sept. 2014 for refurbishment until the end of 2015.

For aviation enthusiasts, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has a large rooftop viewing area, called the Panoramaterras. It is not accessible to connecting passengers unless they first exit the airport. Enthusiasts and the public can enter, free of charge, from the airport's landside. Since June 2011, it is the location for a KLM Cityhopper Fokker 100, modified to be a viewing exhibit.^[27] Besides the Panoramaterras, Schiphol has other spotting sites, especially along the newest Polderbaan runway and at the McDonald's restaurant at the north side of the airport.

Schiphol has its own mortuary, where the dead can be handled and kept before departure or after arrival. Since October 2006, people can also hold a wedding ceremony at Schiphol.^[28]

Schiphol is building a new state of the art Hilton Hotel, with 433 rooms. The new building designed by the architect firm Mecanoo will have a cube shape, with rounded corners and diamond shaped windows. The spacious atrium will have a 41-metre-high (135 ft) ceiling made of glass, and will be in the heart of the building. A covered walkway will connect the hotel directly to the Terminal. In 2015 the hotel will be completed.^[29]

Future Expansions

In 2012, Schiphol Group announced a big expansion of Schiphol, featuring a new Pier,^[30] an expansion of the Terminal and a new parking garage.^[31] Pier A will be part of Departure Hall 1 which already has Pier B (14 gates) and Pier C (21 gates). The new Pier A will have 10 gates. The first activities are expected to start in 2016 and to be completed in 2018. The expansions will cost about 500 million euros.

The new Pier A will be built next to the Pier B, this place is now used as a freight-platform for planes. The Pier A will mainly be used for flights within Europe. To handle the extra passengers that come with this new Pier, Schiphol will expand the Terminal and build new facilities for check-ins and arrivals. From the new building, direct access will be made to the platforms of the underground railway station. When finished, Schiphol wants to grow to around 65 million passengers in 2020.^[32]

Tower

The Schiphol air traffic control tower, with a height of 101 m (331 ft), was the tallest in the world when constructed in 1991. Schiphol is geographically one of the world's lowest major commercial airports. The entire airport is below sea level; the lowest point sits at 3.4 m (11 ft) below sea level (or 1.4 m (4.5 ft) below the Dutch Normaal Amsterdams Peil (NAP)); the runways are around 3 m (9.8 ft) below NAP.^[33][34]

Runways

Schiphol has six runways, one of which is used mainly by general aviation aircraft.^[5] The northern end of the Polderbaan, the last runway to be constructed, is 7 km (4.3 mi) north of the control tower, causing taxi times of up to 20 minutes to the terminal.

Number	Runway direction/code	Length (in metres and feet)	Runway common name	Source of the name	Surface	Notes
1	18R/36L	3,800 m 12,467 ft	Polderbaan	Decided via contest. 'Polder' is the Dutch word for land reclaimed from a body of water. Schiphol Airport is situated in a polder.	Asphalt	Newest runway, opened 2003. Located to reduce the noise impact on the surrounding population; aircraft have a lengthy 15-minute taxi to and from the Terminal. The intended landing runway for Turkish Airlines Flight 1951, which crashed in a field just short of the runway.
2	06/24	3,500 m 11,483 ft	Kaagbaan	Named after the Kagerplassen which lies at the end of the runway	Asphalt	The Kaagbaan offered a location for spotters until the spotting location was closed in January 2008.[35]
3	09/27	3,453 m 11,329 ft	Buitenveldertbaan	Named after Buitenveldert, a part of Amsterdam	Asphalt	El Al Flight 1862 was trying to make an emergency landing on this runway when it crashed into a block of flats in the Bijlmermeer.[36]
4	18L/36R	3,400 m 11,155 ft	Aalsmeerbaan	Named after Aalsmeer	Asphalt
5	18C/36C	3,300 m 10,826 ft	Zwanenburgbaan	Named after the village Zwanenburg	Asphalt	El Al Flight 1862 took off from this runway before crashing into flats in the Bijlmermeer when the plane was trying to return to the airport.[36]
6	04/22	2,014 m 6,608 ft	Oostbaan	Most Eastern (Oost) of all runways	Asphalt	In October 2010 a B-737 of Corendon Airlines overshot this short runway and ended up with its nosegear in the mud.[37]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Note: The piers listed are not definite since very few airlines have dedicated piers or gates; the piers listed below are based on typical conditions.

Airlines	Destinations	Gates
Adria Airways	Ljubljana, Łódź	B, C, D
Aegean Airlines	Seasonal: Heraklion, Rhodes	???
Aer Lingus	Cork, Dublin	D
Aeroflot	Moscow–Sheremetyevo	D, G
Air Arabia Maroc	Casablanca, Nador, Tangier	D, G
Air Astana	Atyrau	D, E
airBaltic	Riga, Vilnius	B
Air Cairo	Charter: Cairo	G
Air Canada	Toronto–Pearson (resumes 6 June 2015)[38]	E, G
Air Europa	Madrid	C
Air France	Marseille, Paris–Charles de Gaulle	C
Air France operated by HOP!	Clermont–Ferrand, Nantes, Strasbourg	C, D
Air Lituanica	Vilnius	A, B
Air Lituanica operated by bmi regional	Vilnius	A, B
Air Malta	Malta	B
Air Serbia	Belgrade	D
Air Transat	Seasonal: Calgary, Toronto–Pearson, Vancouver	E, G
Alitalia	Milan–Linate, Rome–Fiumicino	B
Arkefly	Charter: Antalya, Arrecife, Aruba, Banjul, Boa Vista, Bodrum, Bonaire, Burgas, Cancún, Curaçao, Dalaman, Dubai–International, Faro, Fortaleza, Fuerteventura, Funchal, Gran Canaria, Heraklion, Holguín, Hurghada, Mahon, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, Miami, Montego Bay, Natal, Orlando/Sanford, Preveza, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, Rhodes, Sal, Sharm el-Sheikh, St. Maarten (begins 1 November 2015),[39] Tenerife–South, Varadero, Zanzibar Seasonal charter: Aqaba, Corfu, Denpasar/Bali, Djerba, Enfidha, Girona, Ibiza, İzmir, Jerez de la Frontera, Karpathos, Kefalonia, Kittilä, Kos, Marsa Alam, Mataram, Mombasa, Mytilene, Ohrid, Ponta Delgada, Pula, Samos, Sitia, Terceira, Toronto-Pearson, Zakynthos	C, D, E, G
Arkefly operated by Jetairfly	Charter: Brussels, Miami, Orlando/Sanford
Arkia Israel Airlines	Seasonal: Tel Aviv–Ben Gurion	G
AtlasGlobal	Istanbul-Atatürk (begins 18 June 2015)[40]	TBA
Austrian Airlines	Vienna	B
Belavia	Minsk-National	D
British Airways	London–Gatwick, London–Heathrow	D
British Airways operated by BA CityFlyer	London–City	D
Bulgaria Air	Sofia Charter: Burgas	D
Cathay Pacific	Hong Kong	G
China Airlines	Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Taipei–Taoyuan	E, F
China Southern Airlines	Beijing–Capital, Guangzhou	E, F, G
CityJet	London–City Seasonal: Brive	C, D
CityJet operated by VLM Airlines	London–City	C, D
Corendon Airlines	Ankara, Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman, Gazipaşa, Istanbul–Atatürk, Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen, İzmir, Kayseri, Konya	D, G
Corendon Dutch Airlines	Antalya, Bodrum, Elazığ, Ercan, Gran Canaria, Hurghada, Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen, Nador, Tetouan Seasonal: Aqaba, Arrecife, Banjul, Burgas, Eilat–Ovda, Fuerteventura, Heraklion, Málaga, Marrakesh, Marsa Alam, Ohrid, Palma de Mallorca, Plovdiv (begins 1 December 2015)[41]	D, G
Croatia Airlines	Zagreb Seasonal: Dubrovnik, Pula	D
Czech Airlines	Prague	B, C
Delta Air Lines	Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York–JFK, Newark, Portland (OR), Seattle/Tacoma Seasonal: Salt Lake City (begins 2 May 2015)[42]	D, E, G
easyJet	Belfast–International, Berlin–Schönefeld, Bordeaux, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hamburg, Lisbon, Liverpool, London–Gatwick, London–Luton, London–Southend, London–Stansted, Manchester, Milan-Linate (begins 27 October 2015),[43] Milan–Malpensa, Newcastle upon Tyne (ends 31 May 2015),[44] Nice (begins 8 May 2015),[45] Olbia (begins 9 May 2015),[45] Prague, Rome–Fiumicino, Toulouse, Venice–Marco Polo (begins 8 May 2015)[45] Summer seasonal: Corfu (begins 29 June 2015),[46] Dubrovnik (begins 10 May 2015),[45] Ibiza (begins 29 June 2015),[46] Palermo (begins 29 June 2015),[46] Split	H, M
easyJet Switzerland	Basel/Mulhouse, Geneva	M
EgyptAir	Cairo	G
El Al	Tel Aviv–Ben Gurion	G
Emirates	Dubai–International	G
Estonian Air	Tallinn	B, D
Etihad Airways	Abu Dhabi	E
Europe Airpost	Gran Canaria, Málaga, Tangier Seasonal: Heraklion, Nador	D
EVA Air	Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Taipei–Taoyuan	E, G
Finnair	Helsinki	B
Flybe	Birmingham, Bournemouth (begins 19 May 2015),[47] Exeter, Inverness, Liverpool (begins 7 September 2015),[48] London–City, Manchester, Nottingham/East Midlands, Southampton	D, H
Garuda Indonesia	Jakarta-Soekarno–Hatta, London-Gatwick	D, G
Georgian Airways	Tbilisi	D
Germanwings	Hamburg, Stuttgart	B
Iberia Express	Madrid	B
Icelandair	Reykjavík–Keflavík	C
Iran Air	Tehran–Imam Khomeini	E
Israir Airlines	Seasonal: Tel Aviv–Ben Gurion	G
Jet2.com	Leeds/Bradford	H
Jetairfly	Tangier, Nador	???
Kenya Airways	Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta	F
KLM	Aberdeen, Abu Dhabi, Accra, Almaty, Aruba, Athens, Atlanta, Bahrain, Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Barcelona, Beijing–Capital, Bergen, Berlin–Tegel, Billund, Birmingham, Bogotá, Bonaire, Bordeaux, Bucharest, Budapest, Buenos Aires–Ezeiza, Cairo, Calgary, Cali, Cape Town, Chengdu, Chicago–O'Hare, Copenhagen, Curaçao, Dammam, Dar es Salaam, Delhi, Denpasar/Bali, Doha, Dubai–International, Edinburgh, Edmonton (begins 19 May 2015),[49] Entebbe, Frankfurt, Fukuoka, Geneva, Glasgow–International, Gothenburg–Landvetter, Guayaquil, Hamburg, Hangzhou, Havana, Helsinki, Hong Kong, Houston–Intercontinental, Istanbul–Atatürk, Jakarta/Soekarno–Hatta, Johannesburg–O. R. Tambo, Kiev–Boryspil, Kigali, Kilimanjaro, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, Lagos, Lima, Lisbon, London–Heathrow, Los Angeles, Luanda, Madrid, Manchester, Manila, Mexico City, Milan–Linate, Montréal–Trudeau, Moscow–Sheremetyevo, Munich, Muscat, Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta, Newcastle upon Tyne, New York–JFK, Osaka–Kansai, Oslo–Gardermoen, Panama City, Paramaribo, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Quito, Rio de Janeiro–Galeão, Rome–Fiumicino, Saint Petersburg, Stuttgart, San Francisco, São Paulo–Guarulhos, Santiago de Chile, Seoul–Incheon, Shanghai–Pudong, Singapore, St. Maarten, Stavanger, Stockholm–Arlanda, Taipei–Taoyuan, Tel Aviv–Ben Gurion, Tokyo–Narita, Toronto–Pearson, Vancouver, Venice–Marco Polo, Vienna, Warsaw–Chopin, Washington–Dulles, Xiamen, Zürich Seasonal: Dallas/Fort Worth	B, C, D, E, F
KLM operated by KLM Cityhopper	Aalborg, Aberdeen, Ålesund, Basel/Mulhouse, Belfast City (resumes 18 May 2015),[50] Berlin–Tegel, Bilbao, Billund, Bologna, Bordeaux, Bremen, Bristol, Brussels, Cardiff, Cologne/Bonn, Copenhagen, Durham Tees Valley, Düsseldorf, Florence, Frankfurt, Geneva, Gothenburg–Landvetter, Hamburg, Hanover, Helsinki, Humberside, Kraków (begins 18 May 2015),[50] Kristiansand, Leeds/Bradford, Linköping, London–Heathrow, Luxembourg, Lyon, Manchester, Montpellier (begins 18 May 2015),[50] Munich, Nice, Norwich, Nuremberg, Prague, Sandefjord, Stuttgart, Toulouse, Trondheim, Turin, Venice–Marco Polo, Vienna, Zagreb, Zürich	B, C, D
Korean Air	Seoul–Incheon	F
LOT Polish Airlines	Warsaw–Chopin	C, D
Lufthansa	Frankfurt	B
Lufthansa Regional operated by Lufthansa CityLine	Frankfurt, Munich	B, C, D
Malaysia Airlines	Kuala Lumpur	G
Malmö Aviation	Seasonal: Umeå	???
Meridiana	Seasonal: Cagliari (begins 16 June 2015)[51]	TBA
Norwegian Air Shuttle	Copenhagen, Oslo–Gardermoen, Stockholm–Arlanda	D, M
Onur Air	Istanbul–Atatürk	???
Pegasus Airlines	Antalya, Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen	D, G
Qatar Airways	Doha (begins 16 June 2015)[52]	TBA
Royal Air Maroc	Casablanca, Nador, Tangier Seasonal: Al Hoceima, Oujda	D, G
Royal Jordanian	Amman–Queen Alia	D, G
SATA International	Seasonal: Ponta Delgada	???
Scandinavian Airlines	Copenhagen, Oslo–Gardermoen, Stockholm–Arlanda	C
Singapore Airlines	Singapore	G
SkyWork Airlines	Bern	B
Sun d'Or International Airlines operated by El Al	Seasonal: Tel Aviv–Ben Gurion	G
SunExpress	İzmir Seasonal: Antalya, Kayseri, Konya (begins 9 June 2015)	G
Surinam Airways	Paramaribo	G
Swiss International Air Lines	Zürich	B, C, D
Swiss International Air Lines operated by Helvetic Airways	Zürich	B, C, D
Swiss International Air Lines operated by Swiss European Airlines	Zürich	B, C, D
TACV Cabo Verde Airlines	Sal, Sao Vicente	D, G
TAP Portugal	Lisbon	B
TAP Portugal operated by Portugália	Porto	B, C, D
TAROM	Bucharest	D
Transavia	Agadir, Alicante, Antalya, Arrecife, Athens, Barcelona, Casablanca, Erbil, Faro, Fuerteventura, Funchal, Gazipaşa, Gran Canaria, Innsbruck, La Palma, Lisbon, Málaga, Marrakech, Naples, Nice, Pisa, Porto, Seville, Tel Aviv–Ben Gurion, Tenerife–South, Thessaloniki, Turin, Valencia, Venice-Marco Polo Seasonal: Ajaccio, Almería, Banjul, Bari, Boa Vista, Bodrum, Burgas, Catania, Chambéry, Chania, Chios, Corfu, Dalaman, Dubai–International, Girona, Heraklion, Ibiza, İzmir, Kalamata, Kavala, Kefalonia, Kos, Lamezia Terme, Larnaca, Malta, Monastir,[53] Mytilini, Olbia, Palermo, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Preveza, Rhodes, Sal, Salzburg, Samos, Santorini, Verona, Zakynthos	B, C, D, E
Transavia France	Paris-Orly (begins 1 June 2015)[54]	TBD
Tunisair	Tunis	D, G
Turkish Airlines	Ankara, Istanbul–Atatürk, Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen	G
Ukraine International Airlines	Kiev–Boryspil	D
United Airlines	Chicago–O'Hare, Houston–Intercontinental, Newark, Washington–Dulles	E, G
US Airways operated by American Airlines	Philadelphia	E, G
Vueling	Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao, Málaga, Rome-Fiumicino Seasonal: Florence, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, Santiago de Compostela, Seville, Valencia	B
WOW Air	Seasonal: Reykjavík-Keflavík	C
Xiamen Airlines	Xiamen (begins 27 July 2015)[55]	???
Zagrosjet	Erbil	D

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
AirBridgeCargo Airlines	Anchorage, Chengdu,[56] Chicago–O'Hare, Khabarovsk,[57] Los Angeles, Moscow–Domodedovo, Moscow-Sheremetyevo, Novosibirsk,[58] Shanghai-Pudong, Zhengzhou
Air China Cargo	Shanghai–Pudong, Tianjin[59]
Cargolux	Luxembourg
Cathay Pacific Cargo	Chennai, Dubai–Al Maktoum,[60] Frankfurt, Hong Kong
China Airlines Cargo	Dubai–Al Maktoum, Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Prague, Taipei–Taoyuan[61]
China Cargo Airlines	Shanghai–Pudong, Tianjin, Zhengzhou
China Southern Cargo	Chongqing,[62] Guangzhou, Shanghai–Pudong, Vienna
Coyne Airways	Tbilisi[63]
DHL Aviation	London-Heathrow
Emirates SkyCargo	Dubai–Al Maktoum[64]
Etihad Cargo operated by Atlas Air	Abu Dhabi, Bogotá,[65] Nairobi
FedEx Express	Oslo-Gardermoen, Paris–Charles de Gaulle
Kalitta Air	Bahrain, Newark[66]
Korean Air Cargo	Seoul
LAN Cargo	Campinas–Viracopos, Santiago de Chile, Curitiba, Buenos Aires, Cabo Frio
LANCO	Bogotá, Miami
Lufthansa Cargo	Aguadilla, Bogotá, Frankfurt
Martinair Cargo	Almaty, Aguadilla, Bahrain, Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Bogotá, Buenos Aires–Ezeiza, Campinas–Viracopos, Chennai, Delhi, Guadalajara, Doha, Dammam, Dar es Salaam, Dubai–Al Maktoum, Entebbe, Guayaquil, Harare, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Khartoum, Kigali, Kuwait, London–Stansted, Miami, Montevideo, Mumbai, Muscat, Nairobi, Quito, Riyadh, San José, Santiago de Chile, Sharjah, Singapore[67]
MASkargo	Dubai-Al Maktoum, Kuala Lumpur[68]
MNG Airlines	Istanbul–Atatürk, Munich, Tripoli–Mitiga[69]
Nippon Cargo Airlines	Tokyo–Narita
Qatar Airways Cargo	Doha, Chicago–O'Hare
Saudia Cargo	Jeddah, Johannesburg–O. R. Tambo, Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta
Silk Way Airlines	Baku[70]
Singapore Airlines Cargo	Bangalore, Chennai, Chicago–O'Hare, Copenhagen, Johannesburg–O. R. Tambo, London-Heathrow, Mumbai, Sharjah, Singapore[71]
Thai Airways	Bangkok, Chennai
TMA Cargo	Beirut, Cairo, Riyadh, Sharjah, Tripoli[72]
Yangtze River Express	Shanghai–Pudong

Other users

Other regular users of Schiphol are the Dutch Coast Guard whose aircraft are operated by the Royal Netherlands Air Force, the Dienst Luchtvaart Politie and the Dutch Dakota Association.

Statistics

Busiest European Routes from Amsterdam Airport (2014)

Rank	Airport	Passengers 2014	Change %	Carriers
1	UK, London (Heathrow), United Kingdom	1,486,861	3.0	British Airways, KLM, KLM Cityhopper
2	Spain, Barcelona, Spain	1,217,916	2.6	KLM, Transavia.com, Vueling
3	France, Paris (Charles de Gaulle), France	1,159,308	2.9	Air France, KLM
4	Italy, Rome (Fiumicino), Italy	1,028,871	7.6	Alitalia, easyJet, KLM, Vueling
5	Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark	888,538	10.2	KLM, KLM Cityhopper, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Scandinavian Airlines
6	UK, London (Gatwick), United Kingdom	875,520	16.6	British Airways, easyJet
7	Spain, Madrid, Spain	840,215	16.6	Air Europa, KLM, Iberia Express
8	Germany, Frankfurt, Germany	753,623	4.8	KLM, KLM Cityhopper, Lufthansa
9	UK, Manchester, United Kingdom	732,671	5.9	easyJet, KLM, KLM Cityhopper
10	Germany, Munich, Germany	731,536	5.5	KLM, KLM Cityhopper, Lufthansa, Lufthansa Regional
11	Turkey, Antalya, Turkey	721,409	-3.3	Arkefly, Corendon Airlines, Corendon Dutch Airlines, Freebird Airlines, Onur Air, Pegasus Airlines, SunExpress, Transavia.com
12	Switzerland, Zürich, Switzerland	720,571	3.3	KLM, KLM Cityhopper, Swiss International Air Lines
13	Sweden, Stockholm (Arlanda), Sweden	691,556	4.8	KLM, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Scandinavian Airlines
14	Portugal, Lisbon, Portugal	668,088	-0.6	easyJet, KLM, TAP Portugal, Transavia.com
15	Switzerland, Geneva, Switzerland	639,254	1.9	easyJet Switzerland, KLM, KLM Cityhopper
16	Turkey, Istanbul (Atatürk), Turkey	628,622	2.5	Corendon, Freebird Airlines, KLM, Turkish Airlines
17	Norway, Oslo (Gardermoen), Norway	614,458	1.6	KLM, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Scandinavian Airlines
18	UK, Edinburgh, United Kingdom	600,652	7.0	easyJet, KLM
19	Italy, Milan (Linate), Italy	547,773	0.3	Alitalia, Alitalia CityLiner, KLM
20	Austria, Vienna, Austria	541,060	4.2	Austrian Airlines, KLM, KLM Cityhopper
Source: http://trafficreview2014.schipholmagazines.nl/assets/traffic-review-2014.pdf

Busiest Intercontinental Routes from Amsterdam Airport (2014)

Rank	Airport	Passengers 2014	Change %	Carriers
1	UAE, Dubai, United Arab Emirates	744,908	22.0	Arkefly, Emirates, KLM, Transavia.com
2	USA, New York (JFK), United States	665,852	5.7	Delta, KLM
3	USA, Atlanta, United States	649,602	7.9	Delta, KLM
4	USA, Detroit, United States	623,458	-3.9	Delta
5	USA, Minneapolis/Saint Paul, United States	457,246	-1.9	Delta
6	Thailand, Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi), Thailand	443,967	-3.5	China Airlines, EVA Air, KLM
7	Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya	426,930	7.5	Kenya Airways, KLM
8	Curacao, Curaçao, Curaçao	426,102	9.2	Arkefly, KLM
9	Canada, Toronto, Canada	367,374	-2.9	Air Transat, Arkefly, KLM
10	Hong_Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong	365,400	-0.8	Cathay Pacific, KLM
11	Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	359,674	-9.2	KLM, Malaysia Airlines
12	Israel, Tel Aviv, Israel	348,448	1.4	Arkia Israel Airlines, El Al, Israir, KLM, Transavia.com
13	USA, Houston, United States	337,796	6.3	KLM, United Airlines
14	China, Beijing (Capital), China	317,085	5.3	China Southern Airlines, KLM
15	Singapore, Singapore, Singapore	311,664	-0.9	KLM, Singapore Airlines
16	China, Shanghai (Pudong), China	290,211	-3.8	KLM
17	UAE, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates	268,738	34.3	Etihad Airways, KLM
18	USA, Washington (Dulles), United States	262,013	-4.5	KLM, United Airlines
19	USA, Los Angeles, United States	261,474	0.7	Delta
20	USA, Boston, United States	258,073	-4.4	Delta
Source: http://trafficreview2014.schipholmagazines.nl/assets/traffic-review-2014.pdf

Other facilities

The TransPort Building on the Schiphol Airport property houses the head offices of Martinair and Transavia.com.^[73] Construction of the building, which has 10,800 m² (116,000 sq ft) of rentable space, began on 17 March 2009. Schiphol Group and the architect firm Paul de Ruiter designed the building, while De Vries and Verburg, a firm of Stolwijk, constructed the building.^[74]

The World Trade Center Schiphol Airport houses the head office of SkyTeam,^[75][76] the Netherlands office of China Southern Airlines,^[77] and the Netherlands offices of Iran Air.^[78] The head office of Schiphol Group, the airport's operator, is located on the airport property.^[79] The Convair Building, with its development beginning after a parcel was earmarked for its development in 1999, houses KLM offices,^[80] including KLM Recruitment Services and the head office of KLM Cityhopper.^[81][82] The original control tower of Schiphol Airport, which the airport authorities had moved slightly from its original location, now houses a restaurant.^[80] The area Schiphol-Rijk includes the head offices of Arkefly and Amsterdam Airlines.^[83][84]

At one time KLM had its head office on the grounds of Schiphol Airport.^[85] Its current head office in Amstelveen had a scheduled completion at the end of 1970.^[86] Previously Martinair had its head office in the Schiphol Center (Dutch: Schiphol Centrum) at Schiphol Airport.^[87][88] Formerly, the head office of Transavia.com was in the Building Triport III at Schiphol Airport.^[89][90][91] NLM Cityhopper and later KLM Cityhopper previously had their head offices in Schiphol Airport building 70.^[92][92]

Nippon Cargo Airlines has its Europe regional headquarters at Schiphol.^[93] The National Aerospace Museum Aviodome–Schiphol was previously located at Schiphol.^[94] In 2003 the museum moved to Lelystad Airport and was renamed the "Aviodrome."^[95]

Ground transport

Rail

The Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), the national Dutch train operator, has a major passenger railway station directly underneath the passenger terminal complex that offers transportation into Amsterdam, Utrecht, The Hague, Rotterdam and many other cities.^[96] There are intercity connections to Amsterdam Centraal, Utrecht Centraal, both The Hague Centraal and The Hague HS, Rotterdam Centraal, Eindhoven, Leeuwarden, Groningen, Enschede, Arnhem, Nijmegen and Heerlen. Schiphol is also a stop for the Thalys international high-speed train, connecting the airport directly to Antwerp, Brussels, Lille and Paris, as well as to Bourg St Maurice (winter) and Marseille (summer).

Bus

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is also easily accessible by bus, as many services call or terminate at the bus station located outside in front of the terminal building.^[97]

Destination	Service(s)	Notes
Aalsmeer	198
Alphen aan den Rijn	370
Amstelveen	186, 199, 300, night bus N30
Amsterdam, Leidseplein	197, night bus N97	Leidseplein is the closest destination to Amsterdam's city centre that is served by bus from Schiphol.
Amsterdam, Osdorp	69, 192
Amsterdam, Slotervaart	69, 195
Amsterdam, Amsterdam–Zuid and Buitenveldert	310
Haarlem	300, night bus N30
Hoofddorp	300, 310, night bus N30
Keukenhof Gardens	58 (seasonal)
Lisse	361
Leimuiden	370
Ouderkerk aan de Amstel	300, night bus N30
Noordwijk	361	through Sassenheim
Vijfhuizen	300, night bus N30

Car

Schiphol Airport can easily be reached by car via the A4 and A9 motorways. Schiphol offers several car parking facilities,^[98] which include short term parking,^[99] valet parking^[100] and other parking offers.

Incidents and accidents

• On 14 November 1946, a Douglas C-47 operated by KLM from London approached Schiphol during bad weather conditions. The first two attempts to land failed. During the third attempt, the pilot realized that the airplane was not lined up properly with the runway. The aircraft made a sharp left turn 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.

• On 4 October 1992, El Al Flight 1862, a Boeing 747 cargo airplane heading to Tel Aviv suffered 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 43 people were killed, including the plane's crew of three and a "non-revenue passenger". Several others were injured.

• On 4 April 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 because of a faulty warning light. On final approach at a height of 90 ft (27 m), the captain decided to go-around and gave full throttle on only the number one engine leaving the other in flight idle. 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.

• On 25 February 2009, Turkish Airlines Flight 1951, a Boeing 737-800 from Istanbul crashed on approach, just 1 km (0.6 mi) short of the airport's Polderbaan runway. The plane carried 128 passengers and 7 crew on board. 9 people were killed and a further 86 were injured, including six with serious injuries. Four of the dead were employees of Boeing, involved in an advanced radar deal with Turkey. An initial report from the Dutch Safety Board revealed that the left radio altimeter had failed to provide the correct height above the ground and suddenly reported −8 ft (−2.4 m). As a result of this the autothrottle system closed the thrust levers to idle, as it is programmed to reduce thrust when below 27 ft (8.2 m) radio altitude. This eventually resulted in a dropping airspeed which was not acted upon until it was too late to recover, and the aircraft stalled and crashed in a field.

See also

• Transport in the Netherlands

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Schiphol Airport.

• Official website
• Fire Brigade Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
• Accident history for AMS at Aviation Safety Network

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