VVD MP Daniel Koerhuis visited Schiphol this weekend and had heard ‘terrible stories’. He tweeted: “I cannot explain that Lelystad has been ready and closed for two years. Lelystad must open as soon as possible for holiday flights from Schiphol.”
Ghost Airport Lelystad
Does he have a point and can Lelystad relieve the pressure at Schiphol? The opening of ‘ghost airport’ Lelystad has been postponed several times because there is a lot of resistance and the permits are not forthcoming. “This is certainly not a solution for the short term,” says aviation expert Joris Melkert. “Because if Lelystad opens for commercial flights, it will take quite some time.”
Moreover, Lelystad can handle relatively few commercial flights. “Two percent of the flights compared to Schiphol. So a drop in the ocean.”
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Sheer nonsense
Arnold Burlage, an aviation journalist for many years, even calls it ‘utter nonsense’ to say that Lelystad Airport can be a solution. “Apart from the limited limit, with Lelystad you are faced with the same problem that Schiphol suffers from. Namely: the large staff shortage.”
Joost van Doesburg of the FNV Schiphol trade union says that opening Lelystad will only make the problem for Schiphol even bigger: “Schiphol and Lelystad are located in almost the same regions. In terms of personnel, you therefore fish in the same pond. You cannot solve the catering staff by to open another new restaurant.”
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Invest in your people
Schiphol recognizes that it is struggling with major staff shortages. At the check-in counters, but also at the baggage departments and security. Due to the corona pandemic, many airport employees – who often work with zero-hours contracts – have found other (and often more affordable) jobs.
“So invest in your people”, Van Doesburg suggests as a solution. “Arrange permanent contracts for your staff, safe working conditions and a living wage. The wage of a baggage employee is now 10.30 euros gross per hour. That of a desk employee 11.20 euros gross. That’s ridiculous.”
According to aviation expert Arnold Burlage, the Schiphol management already knew in January that this problem was coming. “A mistake was made by not anticipating this. Investment in personnel should have been made on time.”
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Holiday fun flights
Another ‘contribution to a solution’, according to Burlage, is by spreading flights more. “The airports in Maastricht and Groningen are not yet at their capacity. The staff can still have a few more flights there.”
But this is not the golden egg, says Burlage. Choosing a different policy will be more effective. “Now the Schiphol Management mainly focuses on volume: the more flights the better. But Schiphol can also be more selective. Less focus on so-called cheap holiday fun flights. They now consume a lot of capacity and quality. You could reject those flights more.”
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How long can Schiphol’s chaos last? There will be no end to the significant delays and cancellations of flights at Schiphol for the time being, said the minister Mark Harbers (Infrastructure) against the Telegraph.
Last Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Sigrid Kaag said that the cabinet does not see a major role for itself in managing the chaos at Schiphol. The cabinet is ‘keeping its finger on the pulse’.
It’s going better
Aviation expert Melkert is not only negative. He thinks that the problems before the summer holidays may not be too bad. “The big holiday is more spread over the regions than this May holiday. During that period it is also better to find students who can work for the airport as a holiday job. The current Schiphol director, Dick Benschop, also started as a student in the baggage department. .”
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