A look ahead at air traffic
A look ahead at air traffic 25 September – 1 October 2023
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1,385 flights per day expected (average)
In the week of 25 September – 1 October 2023, we expect an average of 1,385 daily flights at Schiphol. We expect the number of daily flights to stay around the same throughout October.
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10 peak moments per day expected
07:00-09:20 (landing), 09:20-11:00 (take-off), 11:00-11:40 (landing), 11:40-13:00 (take-off), 13:00-14.00 (landing), 14.00-15:00 (take-off), 15:00-16:00 (landing), 16:00-17:40 (take-off), 18:20-20:00 (landing) and 20:40-22:10 (take-off).
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Kaagbaan unavailable due to maintenance
The Schiphol-Oostbaan is undergoing maintenance until 1 October. This runway we usually use for smaller planes and business and private jets. This kind of air traffic will make use of the Buitenveldertbaan or one of the other runways.
Runway use at Schiphol
Schiphol has six runways: Kaagbaan, Polderbaan, Aalsmeerbaan, Zwanenburgbaan, Buitenveldertbaan and Schiphol-Oostbaan. Which runways we use depends on the availability of the runways, the wind and weather conditions and the environmental regulations for runway use. In principle, two runways are always in use: one for departing and one for arriving aircraft. At peak moments, a second runway may be used.
A look back at air traffic 4 – 17 September 2023
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Runway use past weeks: Polderbaan mostly used
The Polderbaan (34%) was used the most. Due to maintenance on the Kaagbaan (11%), the Aalsmeerbaan (28%) and Zwanenburgbaan (24%) were deployed more often. The Buitenveldertbaan was deployed for 3% of flights.
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1,353 flights per day (average)
In the period of 4 – 17 September 2023, there was an average of 1,353 daily flights at Schiphol. We had predicted an average of 1,370 flights in our outlook. The number of flights increased compared to previous weeks and was 93% of what we had in 2019.
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Peak times last week
The early and late morning, early and late afternoon and evening landing peaks were followed by a take-off peak every day. There was average of 10 peak moments as a result of air traffic volumes. The peak start and end times deviated slightly, as expected.
Deployment per runway
Kaagbaan Runway usage
In the period of 4 – 12 September 2023, the Kaagbaan was undergoing maintenance. We deployed this runway for 11% of all flights, but usually it's more than 30%.
Polderbaan Runway usage
In the period of 21 August – 3 September 2023, the Polderbaan was one of the most frequently used runways. Almost a third (32%) of all flights took off from or landed on this runway.
Aalsmeerbaan Runway use last week
In the period of 4 – 17 September 2023, the Aalsmeerbaan was used more often for take-off. This was because the Kaagbaan was unavailable and because of wind coming predominantly from the south. After 12 September, we mainly deployed the Aalsmeerbaan as a secondary runway at peak times and when other runways were unavailable due to works, inspections or weather conditions. The Aalsmeerbaan was deployed for 28% of all flights during this period. Normally it's around 15%.
Zwanenburgbaan Runway usage
In the period of 4 – 17 September 2023, the Zwanenburgbaan was used much more often than usual during the day. This was because the Kaagbaan was unavailable and because of wind coming predominantly from the south. After 12 September, we mainly deployed the Zwanenburgbaan as a secondary runway at peak times and when other runways were unavailable due to works, inspections or weather conditions. The Aalsmeerbaan was deployed for 24% of all flights during this period. Normally it's around 15%.
Buitenveldertbaan Runway usage
From 4 – 17 September 2023, the Buitenveldertbaan was briefly used on several days because of the weather conditions (westerly wind and thundery showers) and because the Kaagbaan was unavailable. The Buitenveldertbaan was deployed for 3% of all flights.
Schiphol-Oostbaan Runway usage
Between 4 and 17 September, the Schiphol-Oostbaan was only briefly deployed on 12 September as a secondary runway for landing during the afternoon landing peak. This was due to showers preventing parallel runway use. The Schiphol-Oostbaan was deployed for 0.1% of flights.
