Did you know…fact sheets: Fun facts in a fact sheet

Schiphol's key figures about 2018 at a glance.

Of the 475 staff working in snow squads, around 235 are employed directly by Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and a further 240 are hired professionals. Around 100 of the 235 Schiphol employees work on ‘airside’ every day. The other 135 Schiphol staff working in snow operations are known as ‘polar bears’.

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is more than just an airport. It’s actually a modern city with runways. It is also an international hub offering numerous facilities to both people and goods. This is what makes Amsterdam Airport Schiphol an AirportCity. A city where everyone is welcome, but where no-one lives. It is a city that never sleeps.

Airlines, governmental organisations, handling companies, shops and banks, catering businesses, transport companies, fuel suppliers and air traffic controllers: Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is home to approximately 500 companies that together employ around 67,000 people. All these companies play a part in making the airport safe and efficient. But just who does what at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol?

Schiphol is located in a polder landscape, with a lot of water, grassy meadows and rich farmland and other nature reserves. It makes Schiphol particularly attractive to birds. However, birds constitute a genuine risk for aircrafts. In order to keep air traffic safety as optimal as possible, Schiphol deploys 15 'Bird Controllers' to chase the birds, 24 hours a day.

There are no more than a handful of airports in the world of aviation that successfully handle both passengers and cargo. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is one of the airports capable of achieving this. In 2019, all of 1. 57 million tonnes of cargo were transported via Schiphol. Schiphol ranks fourth in Europe, making it one of the leading European cargo airports.

Each year, Schiphol handles some 53 million items of baggage. This can vary from day to day from around 120,000 items on a slow day to 180,000 during extremely busy periods, such as the start of a holiday season. Almost 40 percent of all these items are transfer baggage.

Art has a special meaning at Schiphol. In contrast with the private art collections held by most other businesses, most of Schiphol’s art is encountered in public spaces. It adds human perspective and creates restful focus points. With art, we aim to inspire and make Schiphol more aesthetically pleasing. We hope that it puts a smile on the faces of passengers, visitors and employees alike, even in the hustle and bustle of the airport’s operational and commercial dynamics. Many artworks feature typically Dutch elements and themes, which contributes to Schiphol’s unique sense of place