The Kaagbaan Runway will undergo extensive maintenance next year. From Monday 19 February 2024, we will be working hard for more than nine weeks to bring the runway back to perfect condition. We would like to explain what we will be doing and what the consequences will be for air traffic.
Every year, one of our runways undergoes major maintenance. This is necessary to carry out large-scale work that does not fit within the (minor) maintenance we carry out every year. Next year it is the Kaagbaan Runway's turn for so-called 'medium' major maintenance. This means that we are not renewing the entire runway, but that we are, for example, maintaining frequently used parts. The following list gives an example of tasks that will take place during the maintenance:
Besides the maintenance of the Kaagbaan Runway itself, we also take on a number of projects that are in the so-called area of influence of the runway. We call these interface projects. For example, we are working on turning Quebec into a dual taxiway, making a new crossing and carrying out work on the Kaagbaan tunnel, which lies under the Kaagbaan Runway. We are also installing new electricity cables. This is necessary to electrify processes on airside, which in turn contributes to our sustainability ambitions.
Carrying out these interface projects will result in the maintenance on the Kaagbaan Runway taking a little longer than strictly necessary. But by including these works now, we avoid having to take the runway out of service again (several times) at a later date. In the long term, this will be beneficial and prevent unnecessary additional disruption.
In total, we are going to be working hard for 9 weeks and 4 days in order to carry out all the work. We will use our time as efficiently as possible and, if the work and circumstances permit, we will continue working at night and during weekends. But we'll also keep some moments free to catch up on any delays.
During this period of works, the Kaagbaan Runway is not deployable. This means that air traffic will use other runways. As we'll also be using runways we do not normally use, we have applied for an exemption from the Ministry of Infrastructure & Water Management. Depending on weather conditions, the following runways may be used.
For departing traffic:
For landing traffic:
In exceptional cases, the Schiphol-Oostbaan Runway can be used at night for landing traffic from the northeast (runway direction 22).
We realise that this maintenance may cause additional nuisance in the surrounding area. We will therefore keep you informed in the coming months about the work, the impact on air traffic and on our surroundings. Keep a close eye on schiphol.nl/kaagbaan and the neighbour newsletter.