Amsterdam Schiphol Airport faces challenges amid growth and environmental concerns

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Amsterdam Schiphol Airport faces challenges amid growth and environmental concerns

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Pieter van Oord CEO of Royal Schiphol Group | Schiphol Group

By Sky Industry News

Jun 20, 2025

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport has emerged as one of Europe's major aviation hubs, recording 66.8 million passengers in 2024 and ranking as the fourth-busiest airport on the continent. The airport has launched a multi-billion-dollar investment program aimed at improving operations and sustainability.

Despite its growth, Amsterdam Schiphol is facing challenges, including political debates over noise concerns that may limit annual flight movements to 478,000. The loss of its nature permit due to nitrogen storage requirements adds another layer of complexity.

According to the Royal Schiphol Group's 2024 report, the airport holds stakes in other airports globally, including Terminal 4 at New York's JFK Airport. Pieter van Oord, CEO of Royal Schiphol Group, noted a stable recovery post-pandemic: “Almost 67 million people travelled by plane to, from, or via Schiphol... This underlines the importance of our airports for society.”

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KLM was the largest airline at Amsterdam Schiphol in 2024 with 55.2% of flights. Transavia and easyJet followed as significant carriers. Changes are expected in 2025 schedules with easyJet reducing flights by 5.5%, while KLM and Transavia plan slight expansions.

New airlines like IndiGo and Oman Air will operate from Amsterdam starting in 2025. In June alone, airlines scheduled routes covering destinations such as Georgetown via Saint Martin and popular connections like Barcelona and London-Heathrow.

The airport is close to reaching its potential flight movement cap with airlines opting for larger aircraft models such as Airbus A321neo over smaller ones like Boeing 737-800s.

Noise remains a contentious issue between the airport and nearby residents. Measures are being implemented to encourage quieter aircraft use through financial incentives set by new airport charges approved by Dutch authorities.

The European Commission has pointed out shortcomings in Dutch plans addressing only commercial aviation noise without considering general aviation or innovative noise reduction techniques.