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The view of Schiphol from afar…
The successful development of the Schiphol region has served as a model for
other European air hubs, although not all have chosen to follow the same path.
The British Airport Authority which operates London Heathrow, the world’s
busiest, as well as six others in the UK have stuck to more traditional concepts.
Unlike Schiphol, which has attempted to unify everything within a single building,
the BAA has begun work on a fifth terminal at Heathrow, at a cost of almost
3 billion pounds. Despite the differences in methods, there is a great deal
of respect in the airport industry for the recent development of the Schiphol
region.
“We see Schiphol in the same way that we see Paris Charles de Gaulle
and Frankfurt as major rivals,” says Mark Pearson, spokesman for the BAA
at Heathrow.
Perhaps Schiphol is a more direct rival than BAA had bargained for. In early
2001 the Schiphol Group ran a series of advertisements suggesting that Schiphol
was “London’s 3rd airport.” The Evening Standard noted this,
saying, “Schiphol is certainly building a good case: a one-terminal concept
which obviates schlepping between buildings; minimum connection time (MCT) of
40 minutes short and 50 minutes long haul; and one of Europe's best punctuality
records. Capacity has been increased on the D-pier concourse - the busiest -
and it is now used almost exclusively for UK flights. Refurbishment of the central
lounge is complete, a new shopping complex and communications centre have opened
and a further £1 billion is being spent on expansion.”
Aéroports du Paris, the eighth-busiest airport in the world, sees the
both the Schiphol region as well as the airport itself as a force to be reckoned
with. It has followed a more traditional approach to airport design, and turned
a profit of almost 7 million Euro last year.
“France is in a good place economically speaking. We have a very good
tool with the airport, and of course we hope to have future development,”
says Reder. “Schiphol airport is strong, and the Schiphol Group is a powerful
company.”
In perhaps the best example of the effort to preserve their market share, as
well as to foster further interregional cooperation, Schiphol Group and Fraport,
the operator of Frankfurt/Main’s international airport created the Pantares
alliance in January of 2001. Under the plan, both companies will cooperate in
passengers, retailing, ground-handling, cargo, real estate development, facility
management, information technology and international activities.
“Airport alliances are a logical development and act somewhat as a counterweight
to the spread of airline alliances,” says Robert Payne, spokesman for
Fraport.
Indeed. Pantares has its eye on expansion, with the potential to reap benefits
in both the Schiphol/Amsterdam region as well as the city of Frankfurt/Main
and indirectly the state of Hessen. Panatares recently signed a statement of
intent to work with the Italian operator Aeroporti di Roma S.p.A., the operator
of Fiumicino and Ciampino airports in Rome.
“It is still an option that we may broaden the alliance. In principle
the venture is open to other airports if the strategy fits," says Payne.
What happens next?
As time marches on, the world, and particularly Europe grows ever smaller. Air travel, once exclusively the domain of the wealthy, has given way to the likes of 20 Euro Ryanair flights, and easyJet. Statistics show it- in 1940 16,000 people flew from Schiphol; last year it was over 40 million. The number of air travelers in coming years is expected to grow exponentially, as in the past, and airport authorities are struggling to keep up. In a drive to stay competitive, the Schiphol Group has introduced new technologies, such as the Privium program, an iris-scanning identifier for frequent travelers, and new facilities such as the Polderbaan (Polder Runway) begun in 1995, and finished just days ago. What sort of impact the expansion will have on the Schiphol region in the future remains to be seen, but for now flights will continue to come in on schedule, from Moscow and Mumbai, Tehran and Tel Aviv.
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