Calls for rethink on cargo slots at Schiphol
22 / 02 / 2018
Three key players in the Dutch airfreight industry have called for more cargo slots to be made available at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
Air Cargo Netherlands (ACN), Dutch shippers’ group evofenedex and Transport and Logistics Netherlands (TLN) argue that further delays in opening Lelystad Airport, 45km to the north east of Amsterdam, have prevented the gateway being used as an overflow for flights at Schiphol.
The aircraft slot shortfall at Schiphol has seen a number of all-cargo services moved to rival European hub airports.
The logistics groups are asking both the Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management and Schiphol Airport to increase the previously agreed maximum of 500,000 flight movements per year to a total of 520,000 per annum.
That figure of 500,000 assumed an expansion of Lelystad Airport, the trio said in a joint statement. According to the original plans, there would already be about 20,000 flights a year to and from Lelystad.
Now that the expansion of Lelystad has been postponed again until 2020, at the earliest, the bodies said that the number of flights through Schiphol should be increased.
ACN, evofenedex and TLN are calling for Schiphol to agree to all-cargo services comprising 15% of the additional flights that should be made available through the country’s primary airfreight gateway. That is about 30 flights a week, about the same number that was lost last year, they stated.
“For the Netherlands, for the development of our economy, freight transport is of great importance.”
“Now about 25% of the direct and indirect employment at and around Schiphol is related to freight. Importers, exporters and logistics companies depend to a large extent on sufficient space for cargo at the airport.
“In addition, the Netherlands is jeopardising its business climate when it does not offer enough space for airfreight. 15% of the airport’s extra capacity for air cargo is therefore economically very sensible.”
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