Amsterdam airport Schiphol had a bumper year in 2013, setting a record for numbers of passengers.

Schiphol had more than 52,5 million passengers pass through its gates over 2013, a three per cent rise from 2012 and a new record for the airport.

Also, from August cargo grew to reach more than 1,5 million tonnes, an increase of 3,5 per cent, while the number of aircraft movements grew slightly too.

Most importantly, the number of direct destinations that planes from Schiphol fly to increased from 317 to 323.

Investment in Schiphol

Jos Nijhuis, Schiphol Group’s president and CEO, said that the airport would be investing 1,5 billion euros over the next three years to maintain its position.

Construction work started in 2013 to centralise the security for the whole terminal. The idea behind the change is to improve both the passenger experience and the efficiency of the boarding process for airlines and passengers both.

The number of security lanes at Departure Hall 1 (for Schengen flights) has also been doubled, while Departure lounges 1 and 2 are also being refurbished, as part of the security changes.

Award-winning airport

Schiphol also collected a number of international prizes last year. In spring 2013, the airport was again named the Best Airport in Europe at the World Airport Awards by Skytrax, a consultancy group that conducts research into the quality of civil aviation.

It was also rated third best in the world, just behind Changi Airport in Singapore and Incheon Aiport in Korea.

For this award, Skytrax carried out a survey of more than 12 million travellers from over 160 different countries about the quality of airports around the world.

Source: Schiphol