Amsterdam Schiphol

Amsterdam has acquired over the decades a status as one of the main aviation hubs in the European continent. The city’s mega-hub of Amsterdam Schiphol is home to one of the largest airlines in Europe and is among the busiest in the continent. So let’s find out all there is to know about Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport.


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How Many Runways Does Amsterdam Schiphol Airport Have?

Due to the constantly changing weather conditions in the Netherlands, Schiphol airport features a quite complex system of runways. Currently the airport features 6 distinct runways of different lengths and orientations. This allows the airport to reduce to a minimum the amount the disruption intense winds might cause to incoming flights. Here’s a full recap of which are Amsterdam International Airport’s runways:

Runway NameOrientationLength (m)Length (ft)
Polderbaan18R/36L3,80012,467
Kaagbaan06/243,50011,483
Buitenveldertbaan09/273,45311,329
Aalsmeerbaan18L/36R3,40011,155
Zwanenburgbaan18C/36C3,30010,827
Oostbaan04/222,0146,608

What is peculiar about Amsterdam International Airport is that each runway has a specific name that identifies it, not only the number.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport at Sunset

Which Airline Uses Amsterdam International Airport as a Hub?

Schiphol is home to KLM, Royal Dutch Airlines, the flag carrier of the Netherlands. The airline has all of its operations based in what is the only large-scale airport of the country. The airport used to also be home to MartinAir that however has been absorbed into the KLM group. KLM is part of the Air France-KLM group of which you can read more here.

How Many Passengers Travel Via Amsterdam Schiphol Airport?

In 2023 over 61.8 million passengers have transited through the Dutch capital’s airport. In the table below you’ll find the monthly recap of passenger numbers and cargo that transited via Amsterdam Schiphol.

YearMonthNumber of PassengersNumber of PAX FlightsCargo Tons
2024January4.543.87935.050118.253
2024February4.626.93935.103121.853
2024March5.226.12938.223136.492
2024April5.470.43239.141117.657
2024May5.975.69442.043122.510
2024June5.958.31440.857121.648
31.801.387230.417738.413
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in the Rain with KLM flight taking off. The Amsterdam airport is the main air gateway to the country and also, for many travellers from overseas to Europe as a whole.
KLM Boeing 777 Taking off from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS)

The Airport’s Main Issue

One of the most loved features for travellers is the proximity of Schiphol airport to downtown Amsterdam. However, this characteristic in recent years has become the airport’s main issue. The ever growing demand for air transport and in turn the increasing number of flights has created frictions between the needs of the airport and the demands of nearby residents.

Therefore in 2022 the Dutch government unveiled a plan to gradually reduce the number of flights allowed to operate from Schiphol Airport. This immediately triggered a response by the airport authority and the many airlines operating from AMS lead by KLM.

In spring 2023 the first ruling came out in favour of the airlines and the airport suspending the government’s decision. However following an appeal it was ruled that the Dutch government’s plan is legitimate and that the airport will have to reduce the its flights from 500,000 to 460,000 in 2024. That is quite a significant reduction for Amsterdam Schiphol which risks to loose competitiveness against other major European airports if a solution isn’t found.

Which Are The Busiest Routes From Amsterdam Schiphol Airport?

As mentioned before Amsterdam Schiphol airport is among the 5 busiest airports in Europe at the moment. Therefore, a huge amount of traffic moves from and to the airport daily. In 2022 AMS traffic split saw:

  • 71% of passengers volumes from and to European destinations
  • 29% of passengers from and to non-European destinations

The busiest European destinations in 2022 were:

AirportAirport CodePassengers
BarcellonaBCN1,204,862
London HeathrowLHR1,140,162
DublinDUB1,003,177
CopenhagenCPH972,998
MadridMAD972,005
Paris Charles de GaulleCDG909,995
LisbonLIS901,583
IstanbulIST798,103
Rome FiumicinoFCO795,808
MancesterMAN707,150
Berlin BrandenburgBER680,176
StockholmARN672,564
MalagaAGP642,445
ZurichZRH636,835
ViennaVIA611,758
MunichMUC611,516
London GatwickLGW605,428
OsloOSL574,143
HelsinkiHEL532,868
GenevaGVA528,392

While the busiest non-European routes were:

AirportAirport CodePassengers
DubaiDXB760,101
AtlantaATL755,443
New York JFKJFK731,791
CuracaoCUR650,251
Tel AvivTLV440,992
DetroitDTW430,438
TorontoYYZ426,033
MinneapolisMSP398,926
Mexico CityMEX344,083
BostonBOS309,805
Los AngelesLAX305,897
San FranciscoSFO305,821
SingaporeSIN292,389
NairobiNBO281,827
ChicagoORD269,927
SeattleSEA265,596
HoustonIAH260,616
Sao PauloGRU257,468
LimaLIM252,284
ParamariboPMB247,005