A look ahead at air traffic
A look ahead at air traffic 22 April - 5 May 2024
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1,360 flights per day expected (average)
In the week of 22 April – 5 May 2024, we expect an average of 1,360 daily flights at Schiphol. We expect the number of daily flights that take off and land at our airport to remain more or less the same throughout April.
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11 peak moments per day expected
Take-off: 07:00-07:40, 09:20-11:00, 11:40-13:00, 14:00-15:20, 16:20-17:40 and 20:40-22:10 Landing: 07:40-09:20, 11:00-11:40, 13:00-14:00, 15:20-16:20 and 18:20-20:00
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Sweeping and dual taxiway works
From 25 April to 20 May, the Kaagbaan will be regularly swept at night. From 25 April to 1 July, landing at times of limited visibility is not possible on the Kaagbaan. This is due to works for the dual taxiway project.
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 1 - 14 April 2024
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Runway use past weeks: Polderbaan mostly used
The Polderbaan (34%) was used the most. The Aalsmeerbaan (33%), Zwanenburgbaan (26%) were deployed more often due to works on the Kaagbaan. The Buitenveldertbaan (5%) was mainly deployed because of weather conditions, as was the Schiphol-Oostbaan (2%)./
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1,300 flights per day (average)
In the period of 1 – 14 April 2024, there was an average of 1,300 daily flights at Schiphol. We had predicted an average of 1,305 flights in our outlook. The number of flights increased compared to previous weeks.
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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 11 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 1 – 14 April 2024, the Kaagbaan was unavailable for air traffic due to major maintenance. We usually use this runway for around 30% of flights. We deployed the Aalsmeerbaan, Zwanenburgbaan and Buitenveldertbaan runways more often than usual.
Polderbaan Runway usage
In the period of 1 – 14 April 2024, the Polderbaan was the most frequently used runway at Schiphol. More than a third (34%) of flights used this runway.
Aalsmeerbaan Runway use last week
The Aalsmeerbaan was used for 33% of flights during the period 1 – 14 April. This is around double the usual number of flights (when the Kaagbaan is available). While the Kaagbaan maintenance is going on, the only time we will deploy the Aalsmeerbaan at night (from 23:00 to 06:00) is when no other runway is available. The Aalsmeerbaan was not used at night during this period.
Zwanenburgbaan Runway usage
In the period of 1 – 14 April 2024, the Zwanenburgbaan was deployed for 26% of flights. This is around twice as many flights as usual and is a result of the major maintenance of the Kaagbaan. The Zwanenburgbaan is mainly used as a secondary runway during peak times and when other runways were unavailable due to works, inspections or the weather conditions. We also deployed this runway at night (depending on the wind direction) as a replacement for the Kaagbaan.
Buitenveldertbaan Runway usage
Between 1 and 14 April 2024, the Buitenveldertbaan was deployed for 5% of flights. This runway was used on several days and three nights for landing and take-off, mainly due to weather conditions (wind and visibility) in combination with the Kaagbaan maintenance. We used the runway in mixed mode (both take-off and landing) during the nights of 9, 10, 12 and 13 April. This was due to strong south-westerly and westerly winds combined with the maintenance on the Kaagbaan, which meant other runways could not safely be deployed.
Schiphol-Oostbaan Runway usage
The Schiphol-Oostbaan was used for 2% of (commercial) air traffic between 1 and 14 April 2024. We briefly used the runway for landing on three days and during the night of 9 April due to weather conditions and unavailability of the Kaagbaan.
