Schiphol will introduce new rules for take-off and landing rights from 1 June, with which it hopes to reduce crowds. The airport announced that on Wednesday a statement announced. Schiphol expects that the measure, which will apply until 28 August, will ensure that fewer flights depart this summer and that the crowds at the airport will decrease.
Airlines flying to and from Schiphol have so-called ‘slots’, fixed times within which their aircraft are allowed to land and take off. If the slots are not used, airlines can lose them. That is why they chose to retain slots, even for unfilled or barely filled aircraft.
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The new rules ensure an airline that does not use a slot that another airline will not fill that gap. Schiphol speaks of a ‘lock on the door’. Schiphol director Dick Benschop recently announced that the airport may limit the number of flights this summer, depending on the available airport staff.
The announced measure regarding the slots is part of a larger package with which Schiphol wants to reduce the long queues of recent weeks. The airport is faced with major staff shortages, including in the security sector. Also on Thursday there were long lines again, even in the parking lots. Ascension is according to the airport “a peak day” when passengers queue “much longer”.
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