19 million air passengers in the second quarter

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol recorded 115 thousand flights in Q2 2023, 5.5 percent more than in Q2 2022. There were nearly 16.4 million air passengers in this period, a year-on-year increase of 10.1 percent. Eindhoven Airport, the Netherlands’ second airport in terms of passenger traffic, handled 1.9 million passenger arrivals and departures. This is 6.0 percent more than in Q2 2022. Maastricht Aachen Airport saw a decline in the number of flights and passengers carried: -76.7 and -67.0 percent respectively. This was due to the renovation of the runway, which prevented air traffic from 8 May 2023 to 30 June 2023.

Almost all air cargo handled at Schiphol in Q2

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol normally accounts for around 90 percent of air cargo transport to and from the Netherlands. The remaining 10 percent is handled at Maastricht Aachen Airport. Due to the temporary closure of this airport, over 99 percent of the 347 thousand tonnes of air cargo was handled at Schiphol in the second quarter of this year.

Higher seat occupancy rates

The recovery of aviation also resulted in a higher passenger seat occupancy rate. In Q2 2023, seat occupancy was 81 out of 100, on average. This is almost equal to the level of Q2 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic, when 82 out of 100 seats on passenger flights were occupied. While the occupancy rate in the second quarters of 2020 and 2021 was 39 and 44 percent respectively, it stood at 79 percent in the second quarter of 2022.

Schiphol also important in Europe

Not only is Amsterdam Airport Schiphol the most important airport in the Netherlands, it is also important within the European Union. With 52.5 million air passengers, it was the second largest airport in the EU last year. Only Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport recorded more passengers in 2022: 57.5 million.