Schiphol is once again the major driver of the Dutch economy. When the Netherlands went into lockdown at the start of the corona crisis and Schiphol was almost extinct, the economy in the Haarlemmermeer region plummeted like never before, but the region has now been recording the largest growth in the country for a few years in a row.
The economy in Haarlemmermeer and the surrounding area grew by 21 percent in the second quarter of this year. That is more than twice as hard as the North Holland economy as a whole (10 percent).
Amsterdam
The only North Holland CBS region that, like Haarlemmermeer and the surrounding area, records double digits is Amsterdam. Nevertheless, with a 10 percent growth, the capital can hardly match the 21 percent growth in Haarlemmermeer, for which not only Schiphol itself, but also companies and suppliers affiliated with the airport are responsible.
In addition to the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, the CBS region of Haarlemmermeer and surroundings also includes the municipalities of Aalsmeer and Uithoorn, a spokesperson for the statistical office said. The municipalities of Amstelveen and Ouder-Amstel belong to the CBS region Overig Agglomeratie Amsterdam.
Based on the CBS figures, it can also be concluded that Schiphol is also the largest economic pacesetter nationwide. The exception is Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, where the economy has grown by 10 percent, just like in Amsterdam. In the rest of the regions, growth stalled below 10 percent.
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Patrick van der Kort of the luxury taxi company Marcus from Badhoevedorp has also noticed that the economy at and around Schiphol has picked up considerably. So many rides are requested that Taxi Marcus regularly has to sell ‘no’.
“The applications are going like a rocket. Business traffic has picked up and many foreign customers are coming to the Netherlands again,” Van Der Kort tells NH Nieuws. The fact that Taxi Marcus often has to reject ride requests is due to the staff shortage that Patrick also has to contend with.
Just before the municipal elections, NH Nieuws delved into the precarious balance between quality of life and economic growth in areas around Schiphol. Member of Parliament Suzanne Kröger said at the time that a smaller Schiphol (max. 400,000 flights per year) could be an economic and a job engine.
Smaller Schiphol
Taxi entrepreneur Patrick then said that he is not waiting for a smaller Schiphol, because he would then have less work. And because the number of taxi drivers and taxis has grown with Schiphol, fewer flight movements will mean that some drivers will roll over, he feared.
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What does a smaller Schiphol mean for this economically dependent region? – NH News
Van Der Kort expects to have enough staff again in the long run to be able to process all requests and trips. His concerns about a smaller Schiphol have not disappeared: in June the cabinet decided that the airport should need to shrink from 500,000 to 440,000 flight movements per year. “As far as I’m concerned, Schiphol should continue to grow,” says Patrick. “It is a major transfer airport that is important for the Dutch economy.”