Schiphol management said it made this decision after consulting with airlines, which, by the way, they are “not welcome at all,” according to the press release.
The restrictions are expected to last until the end of March, although the air harbor has said it will review the situation again towards the end of the year to see if “it is possible to increase the limit at the end of January.”
“Schiphol did this choice to provide travelers with reliable and timely departures and — predictability and stability,” the press release says. “At the same time, the airport is working hard to improve security.”
Airport officials say they are working with security companies and unions to improve the situation. The main problem continues to be staff shortages.
The press release did not provide specific figures for capacity limits. It only says that the slot coordinators will work with the airlines to meet the requirements of the airport.
Schiphol Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world in terms of international passenger traffic. According to the Airports Council International, in 2021 it became the No. 3 in the world in terms of the number of international passengers, second only to Dubai and Istanbul airports.
The passenger flow restriction was first introduced at the airport in June, and Schiphol blamed more higher-than-expected demand for travel and the labor market.
In August, the airport announced that it would extend the restrictions on the number of passengers until September.
In September, the number of passengers departing from the airport was limited to 67,500, the airport said in a statement. In October this number should be increased to 69,500 per day.