The incredible £2.2bn plan to save Europe’s ‘most important airport’

One of Europe’s most important airports is currently undergoing an incredible £2.2bn transformation to save it from disrepair.

Boasting six runways and a main terminal that’s divided into four zones, Schiphol Airport is the third busiest international airport on the planet, and the fourth busiest in Europe for passenger traffic after  London Heathrow, iGA Istanbul, and Paris-CDG.

Opening 1916 as a small military airport, Schiphol saw 62 million passengers pass through in 2022.

With 300 direct flights, Schiphol is the top connected European Airport thanks to its central location and amount of long-haul flights.

However, the airport has been facing a turbulent time as in the summer of 2022 Schiphol was plagued with labour shortages after the pandemic. This caused long queues, delays and baggage going missing. Schiphol even had to introduce capacity caps to keep up with demands.

With a stream of frustrated passengers, Schiphol saw its position in the world’s best airport ranking slipping from 15th to 29th.

Aiming to put the airport back among the world’s best, Amsterdam has announced that Schiphol is undergoing an extensive makeover.

With a completion date of 2027, this transformation includes a brand-new pier, enhanced lounge areas and a dual taxiway.

At 370 metres long and 40 metres wide, Pier A will have new shops, security and border controls over three different floors. 

With an aim of being eco-friendly, Pier A will also have seven additional gates, four for narrow-body planes and four for wider plane designs. 

Despite facing delays due to contract disputes, steady progress is being made.

The outdated lounge area will also receive a makeover with over 24,000 sqm being redesigned, including transforming the previous crew member area adding 5,000 sqm of space with 23 new retail outlets.

However, as parts of the lounge still remain open, the works are being carried out in phases and mostly overnight.

The extensive dual taxiway revamps have included the building of a bridge strong enough to hold an entire plane over the motorway. Currently part of the taxiway is singular which can cause a backlog of flights.

Stretching 250m long and six metres high several buildings were demolished to make way for the bridge.