Yesterday was the busiest day of the year at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, already Europe’s second busiest, and travelers were warned ahead to brace themselves for possible delays.
Airport authorities expected around 233,000 passengers to move through the terminals, and through scanning and security; that’s a jump of 3,000 over last year. Overall, the airport is expecting a 2.4% rise in traffic for the summer.
Dutch military police, who man the passport control areas, continue to be understrength at the airport, contributing to delays, but the airport itself is finding ways to speed up other parts of the process, including ‘small bag only’ lines at check-in.
In the long run, the airport is adding passenger spaces including updating departure halls and adding a new pier for gates. Since the airport’s number of landings and take-offs is limited by law, the increase in numbers reflects fuller and larger planes.
