Amsterdam Airport Schiphol sees opportunity in significant unused belly capacity

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol published (17-May-2018) a discussion paper, Collaborating in Times of Capacity Constraints, as part of the airport efforts to inform and support airlines to help maximum operations. According to the paper:

• The whole Schiphol airport community needs to deal with the situation that the airport is air traffic movement constrained up until 2020;
• The airport has integrated its aviation marketing and cargo teams to ensure that the passenger and cargo businesses work more closely together;
• The airport's research shows there are some opportunities for airlines to cater for rising cargo demand, as well as opportunities for airlines to fill bellyhold capacity on existing aircraft to increase yield. There is significant unused belly capacity on North American route;
• Schiphol is already seeing a trend with network planners starting to include the potential for cargo business when making decisions about launching new routes. The airport is "very keen to further support that trend";
• Schiphol handled 68.4 million passengers in 2017 and was the fastest growing airport (+7.7% year-on-year) of the 10 largest European airports. The airport averaged an 85% passenger load factor of 85% in 2017, with a low of 80% in Jan-2018 and a high of 89% in Jul-2018. There are average of more than 20 empty seats per flight into the airport;
• In 2017 Schiphol handled 1.8 million tonnes of cargo, maintaining its position as Europe's third largest freight airport behind Frankfurt and Paris Charles de Gaulle, and staying above London Heathrow. Freight volume increased by 5.4%, with cargo on freighter aircraft up 5.7% and on passenger services by 5.1%;
• The split between freighter and belly volume is about 60:40, so even though freighters make up only 3% of aircraft movements, they remain very important to the airport and the cargo community. The limit on aircraft movements makes adding more freighter flights difficult. [more - original PR]