The Prime Minister wanted to know the state of affairs on a daily basis in April because of the initial chaos that arose at the time, according to reports released after an appeal to the Open Government Act (WOO). Schiphol boss Benschop immediately acknowledged that there was holiday chaos. “Call me soon – sit in the crisis team for a while”, Benschop appts, followed by a smiley to the minister.
Bottleneck
Benschop sketched several scenarios in it. According to him, the bottleneck was mainly security. Personnel had been contracted, says Benschop, but employees did not show up. It also appears that there were concerns about safety and public order. The mayor of Haarlemmermeer, among others, sounded the alarm. The documents also mention shortages at the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee and the speeding up of screening processes for new employees (by the AIVD).
It is striking that the required updates were discontinued after May 1. This while the conditions at Schiphol were anything but rose scent and moonshine. The airport recently reported that the restrictive measures will last until the autumn break. At the request of the House of Representatives, the briefings were resumed afterwards.
‘Disappointed’
It is also striking that Schiphol reacted ‘disappointed’ to criticism from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, according to the documents. That while society and MPs urged the cabinet to firmly condemn the situation and the failing leadership at the airport.
Officials agreed, it turns out. “Let’s not forget that Schiphol is not only a state participation (Finance), but that IenW has also granted an operating license to Schiphol under the Aviation Act. In the light of that permit, it is only logical that we, as the competent authority, are critical.”