Record number of international air passengers via Schiphol

Nearly 50 million international air passengers travelled to and from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in 2011, a record.  28 million of these passengers travelled within the European Union. In the first six months of 2012 even more passengers used the largest Dutch airport than in the same period of 2011.

Schiphol hub for passengers within the EU

Since 2006 Schiphol Airport has been the main hub in Europe for international air passengers within the 27 countries of the European Union. Most passengers travelling to or from countries outside the EU use London Heathrow. Heathrow is the busiest European gateway to the EU.

Top 10 international passenger airports, 2011

Schiphol-London popular

The Schiphol-Heathrow route is also very popular. In 2009 1.5 million passengers travelled this route, in 2011 over 1.4 million. Fewer passengers fly in and out of Heathrow because the airport is ‘over stretched’ but the total number of air passengers to Greater London is increasing because more people fly through Gatwick and Stansted. More passengers are travelling between Amsterdam and the airports of Barcelona, Madrid and Rome because the number of flying routes is expanding.

Main EU destinations via Schiphol

The Netherlands sixth in the EU

Nearly 967 million passengers from the European Union travelled to and from destinations in the rest of the world in 2011. The Netherland has had a stable sixth place since 2000. This is mainly due to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport where 93 percent of the international air passengers in the Netherlands arrives or departs.

Top 10 EU countries for air passengers between the EU and the rest of the world

Over 22 million air passengers in total travelled between the Netherlands and destinations outside the EU in 2011. The most popular destination was Antalya in Turkey, with over 970 thousand passengers.

Frits Mullenders and Wick Schaafstra