Schiphol will keep its airport charges at the current level until 2030, with airlines continuing to pay an average of €60 per passenger to use the airport, CFO Robert Carsouw announced at a press conference following the release of the airport's annual results.
The decision to freeze fees follows a controversial 41 percent increase in 2025 that drew strong criticism from airlines including KLM and industry body IATA. Schiphol had originally planned a further 5 percent increase in 2026, but scrapped this after pushback from carriers.
Carsouw argued that tariffs had been set too low for too long and that current rates are now comparable to Frankfurt Airport while remaining well below those charged by London Heathrow. "It is a clear signal to airlines that we are now at the level we should be, neither too low nor too high," he said.
Record profit and rising passengers
Schiphol Group, which includes Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Eindhoven Airport, Rotterdam The Hague Airport and Lelystad Airport, reported a profit of €551 million for 2025, nearly €150 million more than the previous year.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol handled 68.8 million passengers in 2025, up 3 percent from 66.8 million in 2024. The total number of flight movements rose 1 percent to 477,552. Including regional airports, Schiphol Group processed 78.1 million passengers across the Netherlands.
For 2026, Schiphol expects between 68 and 72 million passengers. If realised, this would bring the airport above pre-pandemic levels for the first time, surpassing the 2019 record of 71.7 million travellers. The growth is expected despite a cap of 478,000 flight movements, as airlines deploy larger, more efficient aircraft.
Customer satisfaction reached 3.84 out of 5, the highest level in a decade excluding the COVID period.
Winter storm disruption
CEO Pieter van Oord acknowledged that the start of 2026 had not been a good example of the quality Schiphol aims to provide. Winter storms in early January caused extensive disruption, with over 700 flights cancelled on some days and more than a thousand passengers forced to spend nights at the airport.
"This disruption was extremely frustrating for travellers, and we understand that many passengers were disappointed," Van Oord said. Schiphol and KLM are conducting independent research into the winter weather disruptions and possible improvements, with the report expected to be submitted to the minister by the end of March.
Investment plans
Schiphol invested €1.056 billion in 2025 on maintenance backlogs and quality improvements. The airport group plans to invest €10 billion in total through 2035 to improve the quality of its airports.
"We are investing more than ever to bring Schiphol back into Europe's top three airports," Carsouw said. "At the same time, we need to keep Schiphol affordable for both airlines and passengers to maintain efficient connections between the Netherlands and the rest of the world. This is why we carefully balance our investments with the fees we charge."
The airport will pay €162 million in dividends to shareholders for 2025.
Quieter aircraft incentives
The higher tariffs introduced in April 2025 include steeper charges for noisier aircraft and night flights, with night operations now three to six times more expensive than daytime flights depending on the aircraft type.
According to Schiphol, 32.6 percent of aircraft using the airport between April and December 2025 belonged to the two quietest tariff categories, up 8.8 percentage points from the same period in 2024. For 2026, the airport expects a further 15 percent noise reduction during the day and 32 percent at night.
Cargo decline
Freight volumes fell 4 percent to 1.43 million tonnes, with 15,348 dedicated cargo flights representing a 2 percent decline. Passenger flights carried 44 percent of cargo, with full freighters handling the remaining 56 percent.
Schiphol remains one of Western Europe's busiest airports alongside Paris-Charles de Gaulle, London Heathrow and Frankfurt. In 2025, the Netherlands was connected to 300 direct destinations from Schiphol, including 124 intercontinental routes. The most popular destinations were Spain, the United Kingdom, Italy, the United States and Turkey.
