F R 3 - 9 8

Home | Update | LATEST ISSUE | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles | FR 3/98 SCHIPHOL AIPORT FACES NOISE RESTRICTIONS by Heiko Reuter For years German airport managers watched their colleagues at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport with envy. Their work seemed to be hindered rather than helped because of rules and regulations. Schiphol Airport, however, was able to expand unhindered. What is more: The Dutch took advantage of the favourable situation. Homecarrier KLM together with Eurowings built up a network, which took passengers away from German airports. In 1996 1.82 million passengers flying to and from Germany were countered at Schiphol. Most of these, 1.1 million in all, were travellers, who wanted to catch connecting flights, (a group of people that are vital for every major airport). And the proportion of transfer passengers did not only rise constantly among the Germans. The clever Dutch have made a virtue out of necessity. There is virtually no air transport to destinations within the country. What better than to create a well-functioning airport aimed at the transfer business that attracted passengers from far beyond the country's borders? Today only 37 per cent of all travellers using Schiphol are Dutch. 11 per cent are British and a similar number are American, (the reason for this being the well-functioning co-operation of KLM and Northwest Airlines) and 7 per cent are German. Amsterdam Schiphol, the fourth biggest European airport, is popular with passengers. In opinion polls among frequent travellers and travelling magazines, the Dutch turnstile is top ranking. As well as the wide range of destinations, travellers valued especially good road and rail connections. High-speed trains arrive at the airport's own train station from Brussels and Paris. From next year the ICE will stop here as well. Modern interior designs makes other airports look dated. At Schiphol passengers will not find 70's nub flooring like the one at Frankfurt's Terminal 1. You almost feel at home surrounded by a friendly colour scheme and modern art. There is only one terminal at Schiphol, which makes walking distances not necessarily short, but manageable. At least passengers will not have to be ferried from one terminal to the other, as is the case at Paris - Charles de Gaulle. The whole experience is rounded off by a big selection of restaurants, shops and Duty-Free Shops. Schipol is the only airport to offer a Casino. And if passengers are overtired after a long intercontinental flight, they can book a day room at the Airport Hotel. This great service pays for itself. Schiphol is the fastest growing airport among the ten biggest in Europe. In the last years the number of passengers has almost doubled. In 1991, 16.5 million passengers were registered. Last year there were 31.4 million - 3.6 million or 13 per cent more than in 1996. 40.3 million passengers used the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Airport in 1997, an annual increase of 3.9 per cent. In Schiphol a growth rate in double figures is almost commonplace. The tills are ringing as a result. Schiphol has always been a "cash cow". The airport regularly produces a respectable profit. During the last ten years Schiphol will have made around one billion Guilders (c.900 million DM) for its main owner, the Netherlands and the City of Amsterdam. According to airport sources Schiphol produced almost 3 per cent of the Dutch gross domestic product. A spokesperson said that the airport employs 47,000 people. Indirectly the same number of jobs will be dependent on the airport. However, the honeymoon seems to be over now. A strange row over noise created by aircraft has developed. The airport and airlines on the one hand, environmentalists and airport neighbours on the other. In the middle are the politicians. Since 1996 there are special noise corridors around the airport with fixed noise limits, which must not be overstepped. However, the airport has not succeeded in adhering to these. This is why Schiphol had to enforce strict night flight restrictions, in order to stay within the prescribed noise limits in 1998. Instead of the requested 400,000 take-offs and landings, the airport only gave permission for 360,000. The airlines protested vehemently. In April Schiphol will be made a "co-ordinated" airport, the slotfree days are over. The problem is that Schiphol needs a fifth runway - not because it needs extra capacity, but to ease the noise corridors. However, the much needed runway will take five years to deliver. Until then things will have to be taken quietly. The airport is growing faster than predicted. Three years ago the Dutch Cabinet gave the permission to expand the airport. At the same time it, however, put an upper limit to its capacity at 44 million passengers per annum. This limit will be reached in a few years' time. The restriction was lifted in December, because Prime Minister Wim Kok intervened. A limit will be placed on noise and emissions restrictions in the near future. But these limits have to be redefined. According to studies, growth of up to 90 million passengers per annum is possible within the existing noise limits. However, quieter aircraft have to be used, landing and take off schedules and runways have to be altered. Another inquiry looks at alternative sites to relieve Schiphol. The first alternative is the construction of another airport for low-cost carrier, charter and freight planes. An artificial peninsula just outside Rotterdam would be the perfect location for this. Again, the only problem is noise, which would disturb residents and holidaymakers. Another alternative is a new airport on an artificial island in the Ijsselmeer intended for the sole use of KLM, charter and freight planes. The problem here is bird sanctuaries. Finally, an airport in the North Sea, ten kilometers off the seaside resort of Zandvoort is the third option. There would be a subterranean train system to connect this airport with Schiphol, the only problem is the cost of this project. For long-term growth there are four possible solutions. Airport managers favour the third option. At least there won't be any residents to complain about noise. However, the North Sea solution is, with an estimated cost of 32 billion Guilders (almost 29 billion DM), the most expensive one. A final decision will take some time, experts predict one in the second half of 1998, because the Dutch are having a general election in May. And it is a well-known fact that politicians are very reluctant to make decisions just before elections, if indeed, ever. From page 28 of FLUG REVUE 3/98 Home | Update | LATEST ISSUE | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles | FR 3/98 Copyright 1998 by Motor-Presse Stuttgart. All rights reserved. Last updated February 5, 1998 FLUG REVUE, Ubierstr. 83, 53173 Bonn, Germany