A look ahead at air traffic
A look ahead at air traffic 13 - 19 May 2024
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1,365 flights per day expected (average)
In the week of 13 – 19 May 2024, we expect an average of 1,365 flights per day at Schiphol. We expect the number of daily flights that take off and land at our airport to remain virtually unchanged 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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Maintenance on Buitenveldertbaan
From 13 - 22 May, the Buitenveldertbaan will undergo maintenance. Departing flights will use the Kaagbaan and landing flights will use Schiphol-Oostbaan where the Buitenveldertbaan would normally be deployed. The runway will be available on 18, 19, 20 May.
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 15 - 28 April 2024
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Runway use past weeks: Polderbaan mostly used
The Polderbaan (3%) was used the most. Due to maintenance of the Kaagbaan (6%), Aalsmeerbaan (25%) and Zwanenburgbaan (29%) were deployed more often. Buitenveldertbaan (8%) was mainly used as a secondary runway, the Schiphol-Oostbaan was hardly deployed.
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1,300 flights per day (average)
In the period of 15 – 28 April 2024, there was an average of 1,300 daily flights at Schiphol. We had predicted an average of 1,335 flights in our outlook. The number of flights increased compared to previous week.
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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 15 – 28 April 2024, the Kaagbaan was used for 6% of all flights. We usually use this runway for around 30% of flights, but the runway was unavailable for most of this period due to maintenance. We deployed the Aalsmeerbaan, Zwanenburgbaan and Buitenveldertbaan runways more often than usual.
Polderbaan Runway usage
In the period of 15 – 28 April 2024, the Polderbaan was the most frequently used runway at Schiphol. About a third (33%) of flights used this runway.
Aalsmeerbaan Runway use last week
The Aalsmeerbaan was used for 25% of flights during the period 15 – 28 April. This was due to the major maintenance of the Kaagbaan, that lasted until 25 April. We mainly deployed the Aalsmeerbaan for landing because of the predominantly northerly winds.
Zwanenburgbaan Runway usage
In the period of 15 – 28 April 2024, the Zwanenburgbaan was deployed for 29% of flights. This is around twice as many flights as usual and is a result of the major maintenance of the Kaagbaan. The Zwanenburgbaan was mostly used for take-off and landing in the northerly direction due to predominantly northerly winds. The runway was also used for take-off and landing at night in stead of the Kaagbaan.
Buitenveldertbaan Runway usage
Between 15 and 28 April 2024, the Buitenveldertbaan was deployed on several days (and during two nights) for landing due to weather conditions (such as stormy westerly winds on 15 April) in combination with the Kaagbaan maintenance. The Buitenveldertbaan was used for 8% of flights.
Schiphol-Oostbaan Runway usage
The Schiphol-Oostbaan was hardly used as a runway for commercial air traffic between 15 and 28 April 2024. We only used the runway temporarily on two days as a secondary runway during the peaks due to weather conditions (a strong southwest wind on 15 April and showers on 25 April) and because the Kaagbaan was unavailable due to maintenance.
