Amsterdam¡¯s Schiphol Airport saw passenger traffic rise during the first half of 2025, with higher fees leading to an increase in ¡°quieter¡± aircraft using the Netherlands hub.

Royal Schiphol Group, which runs the airport, said 32.8 million flew through Schiphol in the six-month period ¨C up by 3 per cent on the same period of 2024 but still 1.7 million lower than in the first half of 2019.

The group emphasised that Schiphol has become quieter due to higher charges imposed on ¡°noisy¡± aircraft, which came into effect on 1 April despite protests from airlines.

The company said the number of quieter aircraft using the airport has risen by 7 percentage points year-on-year to reach 30 per cent of all flights at Schiphol.

¡°A key element of the new structure is the principle that the quieter the aircraft, the lower the airport charges for airlines,¡± said Royal Schiphol Group in a statement.

¡°Also, flying during the day is cheaper than flying at night. Schiphol introduced this tariff differentiation in the interest of the airport¡¯s neighbours. The first results are clearly noticeable within the first three months of implementation: airlines are increasingly deploying quieter aircraft.¡±

Reducing noise from Schiphol is the main reason for the Dutch government¡¯s decision to cut the number of annual flights allowed from the airport ¨C this is due to drop from 500,000 to 478,000 flights per year from the start of the winter schedule in late October.

The group also highlighted Schiphol¡¯s ongoing €6 billion investment programme, with €495 million spent on projects during the first half of this year. This has included maintenance work, improving passenger areas and sustainability upgrades.

Royal Schiphol, which also runs Eindhoven and Rotterdam The Hague airports, saw total revenue rise by 20.4 per cent year-on-year to €1.26 billion for the half-year with underlying net profit rising to €214 million ¨C up from €99 million in the same period of 2024.

Robert Carsouw, the group¡¯s CFO, added: ¡°The half-year figures for 2025 show that we are building a solid financial foundation. The increase in the underlying result is a direct effect of more passengers and flights, as well as our new charges.

¡°This result enables us to make the necessary investments in a better airport. We are beginning to see the first results of an improved experience for travellers.¡±