Schiphol is not only the largest airport in the Netherlands, but also the airport in Europe with the most international flights. Thousands of tourists land here every day, with cabs ready to pick them up. Have you ever wondered how big Schiphol really is? In this article, we dive into the details.
Size of Schiphol
With five long runways plus one short one, Schiphol is prepared for the average 1,200 flights that take place there daily. In addition to numerous cab and bus lanes, the airport offers parking for visitors and hundreds of stores can be found behind customs. All of this covers an area of 27.87 km², or 27,870,000 m². A walk around Schiphol Airport would take you about 4 hours and 14 minutes. By comparison, Schiphol is:
- As large as 4,500 soccer fields
- greater than 71 Dutch cities including Leiden, Kerkrade and Delft
- larger than Amsterdam-Zuid
- over 787 times larger than Ahoy Rotterdam
- More than 3 times the size of Eindhoven airport
- 13 times larger than Rotterdam airport.
Runways of Schiphol Airport
Schiphol has six runways: five are for all types of aircraft and one is specifically for private jets. The Polder Runway, as the longest and newest, measures 3,800 meters long by 45 meters wide. The Oostbaan, at 2,014 meters, is the shortest runway and is used for small planes and private jets. The Kaagbaan, which is the second longest runway at 3,500 meters, is the southernmost. Aalsmeer Runway, which runs north to south, has restrictions such as a ban on night flights and northbound takeoffs. Buitenveldert Runway, named after the Amsterdam neighborhood over which its approach route runs, and Zwanenburg Runway, named after the nearby village, are 3,450 and 3,300 meters long, respectively.
Why does Schiphol have so many runways?
With more runways than many other international airports, Schiphol is responding to challenges such as noise nuisance for local residents, wind conditions for safe flights, and high crowding during certain periods. For these reasons, an extensive number of runways is essential, with certain runways, such as Polderbaan, being used on a limited basis to minimize nuisance and ensure safety.
