Amsterdam shows size matters as it leads Europe’s airport charge

Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport added 4.8m passengers last year with the help of a 6-runway setup that’s unique in Europe, putting it almost level with Paris Charles de Gaulle as the region’s second-busiest hub. Schiphol attracted 68.4m travellers, consolidating its lead over Frankfurt and putting it within 1m of the total at Charles de Gaulle. London Heathrow remained Europe’s leading airport despite the constraints of only 2 runways as airlines turned to bigger planes to boost capacity. The UK hub isn’t due to get a third strip until 2025 at least. Amsterdam lifted passenger numbers 7.7% in the 12 months, the most among Europe’s top bases, following 9.1% growth in 2016. That’s contributed 10.2m more travellers in just 2 years, the equivalent of adding an entire airport such as Glasgow’s main hub. <br/>