Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport will still have to restrict passenger numbers in April and May as it “gradually” increases the amount of traffic it can handle.
The Dutch hub said last month that it would be able to remove the current cap on passenger numbers at the start of summer schedule in late March after its staffing situation improved.
But in its latest update, the airport said there needed to be a five per cent “easing” of passenger numbers during the morning peak period to “reduce the risk of unacceptable delays” at check-in, security and passport control. This means that airlines will have to book five per cent fewer seats on flights departing during the 6am to 1pm period.
Schiphol added that the average number of daily departing passengers will increase to 66,000 during May, which would be a 65 per cent rise from the winter season. This number will rise further to above 70,000 passengers per day during peak holiday travel days.
In a separate development, Schiphol will have to cap its total number of flights at 460,000 for the 12 months ending in September 2024, as part of the Dutch government’s plan to reduce the number of flights from the airport to reduce noise and air pollution.
The government wants flights from Schiphol to be eventually limited to 440,000 per year as part of this initiative.