Schiphol shows recovery in first five months of 2010
The recent developments at Schiphol over the first five months in 2010 show a significant recovery, if one compares to the same months in 2009. This recovery is a mixture of the abolishment of the ticket tax and a possible economic recovery. Nevertheless, April has shown another unprecedented event: the volcano eruption in Iceland. This has severely reduced traffic in April to such an extent that passenger traffic at Schiphol was in the first five months of 2010 still 0.2% lower than in the first months of 2009.

Terminating traffic higher
Terminating traffic however was – despite of the volcano eruption – 4.1% higher than in the first five months of 2009, but this growth figure was helped by the abolishment of the ticket tax.

Connecting traffic in decline
Connecting traffic however still shows a continuous decline. This segment was exempted from the ticket tax, but nevertheless it shows still a decline of 5.6% in the first five months and even still 1.6% in May 2010.

Cargo growing, aircraft movements stay behind
Cargo growth was strong now (21% in the first five months and even 28% in May), The number of aircraft movements stays behind remarkably, when looking to the growth difference between passenger /cargo and aircraft movements. In the first five months aircraft movements decline by 5.8% and even in May (with strong traffic growth) aircraft movements still decline by 1.8%.