The surge is evident in the letter that Secretary of State for Infrastructure and Water Management Mark Harpers sent to the House today. VVD MP Koerhuis asked for the information during a two-minute debate in April.

hours in line

According to Harpers, there are two reasons for the increase. “2022 shows a strong peak. Perhaps this is due to the post-corona crisis wave and the consequences of capacity problems in Schiphol, as a result of which more people used business trips or private trips.”

For much of the past year, the national airport has faced a major shortage of baggage handlers and security guards, with the result that travelers sometimes had to wait in line for several hours before they could pass through customs. Private planes land in a part of Schiphol where such problems used to be less common.

The figures do not include trips classified as “social traffic,” such as police or trauma helicopter flights.

According to Harpers, this is a temporary increase. “Now it appears that the numbers are stabilizing again.”

Polluted transport is not at this time.

GroenLinks MP Suzanne Kröger criticizes the minister’s explanation to RTL Nieuws: “It is very clear that this is a significant increase and precisely because GroenLinks wants strict regulation. A highly polluting mode of transport for the rich at the expense of the climate is not at this time.”