News  ·  4 OctoberProvisional runway maintenance schedule 2025

The schedule for the annual runway maintenance—necessary to keep our runways and surrounding taxiways safe and in good condition—is a complex puzzle. We consider the interests of our neighbours as well as the needs and requirements of contractors and air traffic. 

In addition to various periods of short and regular maintenance, major maintenance is carried out on one of the runways every year. In 2025, it’s the Buitenveldertbaan Runway’s turn. The current plan is for this runway to undergo maintenance from 10 May to 28 September. During the period of maintenance, we will replace the asphalt, the foundation and all cabling of the runway itself and the surrounding taxiways. That is necessary because some parts of the runway have been in use for more than 50 years.

We strive to have major maintenance carried out as little as possible during the summer months. The reason we are deviating from that in this case has to do with de-icing the aircraft in the winter period. This process is necessary to ensure safe flying. The apron where this takes place is located directly next to the Buitenveldertbaan Runway. Because we are also working on the surrounding taxiways during the major maintenance, this apron is not accessible during that period. That’s why maintenance on this runway cannot take place in the winter. 

To minimise the impact on the surroundings, we are combining maintenance on the Buitenveldertbaan with other projects and with the replacement of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) by Air Traffic Control the Netherlands. This way, we need to take the runway out of service less often, and the next major maintenance will occur in nine years instead of seven. The Buitenveldertbaan is also frequently used during the storm season due to its location. Since the chance of a westerly storm is much lower in the summer, the likelihood of needing to use alternative runways during the maintenance period is also greatly reduced. By scheduling maintenance during this period, we limit the impact on the surroundings. 

When a runway is under maintenance, it is unavailable for take-offs and landings. We therefore use alternative runways to handle air traffic. This requires an exemption, so we have submitted a request to the Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management. We understand that using alternative runways may result in additional noise nuisance for residents around these alternative runways. We are working on various measures to reduce the disturbance wherever possible. 

It is worth noting that the runway maintenance on the Buitenveldertbaan coincides with the NATO Summit to be held in The Hague at the end of June 2025. During the summit, Schiphol will welcome government leaders from NATO-member states and their delegations. We are currently assessing the impact of this on Schiphol, our operations, and (any alternative) runway use during the Buitenveldertbaan maintenance. We will communicate further information as it becomes available. 

Other work activities are also being carried out that may impact runway use:

As previously mentioned, these dates are subject to change. The definitive schedule can be found on the runway maintenance page as soon as it becomes available.

Would you like to stay informed about when runway maintenance will take place? Subscribe to the neighbour newsletter to receive monthly updates with all the information about runway maintenance, alternative runway use, and other developments and activities at and around Schiphol that are relevant to you as a neighbour. Current information about air traffic to and from Schiphol can be found at bezoekbas.nl.

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management has launched the internet consultation for the provisional plan regarding major maintenance of the Buitenveldertbaan Runway at Schiphol. Anyone can respond until 26 January 2025.