Core Schiphol
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol,
Haarlemmermeer, the Netherlands
April 2020
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is the third-busiest airport in Europe and the main international hub for the Netherlands. In 2019, the airport processed 71.7 million passengers and 496,826 flight movements. The terminal complex spans 650,000 square meters and connects the Netherlands to 332 destinations worldwide.
In April 2020, at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Schiphol processed 126,877 passengers, a decrease of 98% compared to April 2019. Flight movements dropped by 90% to 4,242. The average seat occupancy per flight fell from 82% to 29%. At Rotterdam The Hague Airport, Maastricht Aachen Airport, and Groningen Eelde Airport, passenger traffic came to a complete standstill.
Schiphol consolidated its operations into what it designated "Core Schiphol." Five of its seven piers were closed to passenger traffic: the B-pier was partially accessible, while the C, G, and H/M piers were shut down entirely. Only the D, E, and F piers remained in use. The closed piers and gates served as temporary parking spaces for grounded aircraft, as did the Aalsmeerbaan, one of the airport's six runways. Approximately 25 KLM aircraft were parked on this runway alone.
Of the three departure halls, only Departures 2 and a section of Departures 3 remained operational. Check-in was limited to these areas. Lounge 3 was closed; Lounges 1 and 2 remained open for Schengen and non-Schengen flights respectively. All food and drink outlets in the terminal were shut, in line with national lockdown measures. The airport remained open for repatriation flights, cargo traffic, emergency services, and diverted aircraft.
The infrastructure designed to move 200,000 passengers per day stood largely idle. Empty check-in desks, motionless escalators, silent baggage halls. The airport appeared abandoned. These photographs document a rupture in the daily functioning of critical infrastructure, an event unlikely to recur.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol,
Haarlemmermeer, the Netherlands
April 2020
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is the third-busiest airport in Europe and the main international hub for the Netherlands. In 2019, the airport processed 71.7 million passengers and 496,826 flight movements. The terminal complex spans 650,000 square meters and connects the Netherlands to 332 destinations worldwide.
In April 2020, at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Schiphol processed 126,877 passengers, a decrease of 98% compared to April 2019. Flight movements dropped by 90% to 4,242. The average seat occupancy per flight fell from 82% to 29%. At Rotterdam The Hague Airport, Maastricht Aachen Airport, and Groningen Eelde Airport, passenger traffic came to a complete standstill.
Schiphol consolidated its operations into what it designated "Core Schiphol." Five of its seven piers were closed to passenger traffic: the B-pier was partially accessible, while the C, G, and H/M piers were shut down entirely. Only the D, E, and F piers remained in use. The closed piers and gates served as temporary parking spaces for grounded aircraft, as did the Aalsmeerbaan, one of the airport's six runways. Approximately 25 KLM aircraft were parked on this runway alone.
Of the three departure halls, only Departures 2 and a section of Departures 3 remained operational. Check-in was limited to these areas. Lounge 3 was closed; Lounges 1 and 2 remained open for Schengen and non-Schengen flights respectively. All food and drink outlets in the terminal were shut, in line with national lockdown measures. The airport remained open for repatriation flights, cargo traffic, emergency services, and diverted aircraft.
The infrastructure designed to move 200,000 passengers per day stood largely idle. Empty check-in desks, motionless escalators, silent baggage halls. The airport appeared abandoned. These photographs document a rupture in the daily functioning of critical infrastructure, an event unlikely to recur.
