The completion of this phase means that we now have 10 buffer positions for wide-body aircraft. In other words: ten parking spots for larger planes. There is not enough space at the gate for these aircraft.
As passenger numbers at Schiphol continue to grow, airlines are responding by using increasing numbers of large aircraft for flights to and from Amsterdam. These wide-body aircraft occasionally need a temporary stand if there is no room for them at the gate. Additional remote holding capacity is needed in order to accommodate this and to help us keep delivering our on-time performance. That’s why we have extended one of our remote holding locations – the Uniform platform – from five to ten buffer positions. After phase 3 construction, there will be a total of twelve positions. This still depends on future developments, such as the Masterplan and ideas regarding de-icing.
The Aviation Act was modified at the beginning of 2017. The changes have meant that we are required to carry out extra consultations, in addition to the regular ones, for projects involving an investment of more than €20 million – the so-called Efficiency Incentive. The Uniform platform project is the first project within Schiphol where we met with our stakeholders in this new, extended framework. A separate project group was set up with the airlines; this additional consultation ensures extra commitment to the agreed budget and plan. We are therefore very pleased that the project was completed within the time and budget constraints. The final report was commended by the airlines when we presented it to them on 28th October.
In phase 2 we also created a smart water buffer and drainage system. An important requirement in the planning permission for laying paved areas during construction projects is to create around 18% additional ‘open water’. That’s a lot of extra work in a project like this one. We therefore came up with an alternative solution that does not only drain rainwater away from taxiways, runways and the airside platform in a controlled manner, but also provides a buffer zone to allow rainwater to flow into the polder in a way that can be regulated. You can read more about this win-win solution stemming from our collaboration with the local water board.
Read more about the Uniform Platform extension.