Made in Holland - Saba

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yourself check-in facilities, and super-efficient baggagehandling systems comprising hundreds of metres of conveyorbelts in the basements of the airport, through to lightning-fastiris-scan passenger identity checks – Schiphol has it all. All ofthis technology makes the airport a fly wheel in a flourishingDutch aviation technology sector, because a large number ofthe suppliers come from the Netherlands, and once they havesuccessfully developed and put their product into operation atSchiphol Airport they will invariably export it to foreign airports(see also the article entitled ‘The comfort and convenience of abusiness traveller’ elsewhere in this edition of ‘Made in Holland’for more information).This situation is not surprising, because technology is oftenborn of necessity, and the Netherlands is a densely populatedcountry, which presents more than a few challenges for a majorairport. For example, quieter airport approach procedures andmore bundled approach routes need to be found in order tocomply with noise control regulations. One of the solutionsis a steeper angle of descent, which involves the aircraft, as itwere, ‘gliding’ in to land, because this restricts noise pollutionto a smaller area. An additional advantage of this solutionis that there is less CO2 released into the atmosphere. Krul:“Special software is currently being developed to make theseideas reality.” The resulting system will be another display ofinnovative aviation technology.One single, fluid movementThere is also another limitation, and this one is on the groundrather than in the air, as the increasing motorway congestion isundermining Schiphol’s accessibility. Consequently, the airportis working with Dutch Railways to organise certain train stationsin such a way that passengers can easily reach them in theircars. Then they can take the train to the station underneath thedeparture hall. The process can be made even more appealingby giving passengers the option of checking in on the trainplatform.Schiphol is also continuously working on innovations in its ownarea: Joop Krul specifically mentions the ‘Passenger RedesignProcess’. “The ideal is the one-stop model where passengersmove from their car or train to the aircraft in one single, fluidmovement. In the process, a high-quality information systemkeeps them informed of all relevant information. The only stopthat remains is the security check. However, long queues at thecheck-in desks and the gates, for example, will increasingly be athing of the past.” In other words, travelling will become morecomfortable, although Krul is the first to admit that the financialadvantage is also a major motivation: “The traditional check-inprocess is extremely costly for the airlines, which is why they arevery enthusiastic about new and more efficient methods.”This is why Schiphol – more than any other airport in theworld – is literally and figuratively clearing the way for thedo-it-yourself check-ins: there are already a large number ofself-service check-in kiosks in the terminals where passengerscan check themselves in using the data they received on theInternet. Krul can foresee this trend really taking flight in thenear future, with passengers increasingly printing out theirboarding cards at home. “That still leaves the baggage flows,of course”, continues Krul. “The future in that regard involvespassengers printing out baggage labels at home and having IDchips sent to them at home. Once that’s a reality, passengerscan leave their bags with very little fuss at drop-off points,which could then be in train stations, for example, as well as inthe terminal buildings. This possibility was factored in when thetrain station was built under Schiphol Airport because there isan underground tunnel that can be used to transport bags fromthe station platform to the aircraft.”Nevertheless, there is still a great deal of work to do before allof these new improvements are actually implemented, sinceSchiphol is taking the lead in innovative aviation technology andhas an entire Dutch business sector in tow. Joop Krul stressesthat Schiphol is playing a largely directing role: “We don’t somuch think up something ourselves as ask the question andbring the necessary parties together to find the answer. Ourgreat strength lies in the fact that we make innovations possibleand provide a testing ground for them.”www.schipholgroup.nlAirportCity ConceptAlthough Dutch airport technology is often smart, theAirportCity Concept behind the technology is also extremelyclever. The AirportCity Concept revolves around the fact thatan airport is a city offering its visitors and users everythingthat they need, 24 hours a day. The property value is sohigh that an enormous return can be made if it is organisedto maximise profit, which is why Schiphol’s terminals aresurrounded not only by extended car parks, but also byoffice blocks, hotels and shopping precincts. This objectivecan be seen from one look at the map of the airport. Theincome from all of these surrounding businesses is investedin the core activity of organising everything that has to dowith the arriving and departing aircraft. The Schiphol Groupis also developing this concept (or parts of it) at foreignairports, including in Brisbane, Terminal 4 at JFK Airport inNew York, Stockholm, Jakarta, Milan and Hong Kong.Photo Hollandse Hoogte10 Holland Airport Technology
The Netherlandsin perspectivePeter Bohman, Manager Terminal BusinessStockholm-Arlanda Airport, Sweden“Airport retail is a market in itself. We can learn more from other airports than we can, for example, from retailers in downtownStockholm. As a medium-sized airport we need a strong partner, and Schiphol is extremely consumer-oriented and the people thereknow how to positively affect the travelling experience by offering new concepts and a larger and broader range of shops.”Passenger Traffic in 2006 (18 July 2007)Rank City (Airport) Total number %of passengers Change1 ATLANTA, GA (ATL) 84 846 639 1.22 CHICAGO, IL (ORD) 77 028 134 0.73 LONDON, UK (LHR) 67 530 197 0.64 TOKYO, JP (HND) 65 810 672 4.05 LOS ANGELES, US (LAX) 61 041 066 0.76 DALLAS/FT WORTH, TX (DFW) 60 226 138 1.87 PARIS, FR (CDG) 56 849 567 5.78 FRANKFURT, DE (FRA) 52 810 683 1.19 BEIJING, CN (PEK) 48 654 770 18.710 DENVER, CO (DEN) 47 325 016 9.111 LAS VEGAS, NV (LAS) 46 193 329 5.012 AMSTERDAM, NL (AMS) 46 065 719 4.413 MADRID, ES (MAD) 45 501 168 8.014 HONG KONG, CN (HKG) 43 857 908 8.915 NEW YORK, US (JFK) 43 762 282 4.5Photo Hollandse HoogteThe Netherlands is one of the top 5 Wi-Fi countries worldwideThanks to Wi-Fi Internet access, business people can have Percentage of total worldwide Wi-Fi use:‘an office’ anywhere in the world, and in the majority of1. US (56%)cases (56%) they choose an airport. The Netherlands is one 2. UK (13%)of the top 5 Wi-Fi countries worldwide, with Schiphol Airport 3. Germany (7%)claiming eighth place on the list.4. Switzerland (4%)5. The Netherlands (3.5%)Source: iPasswww.hollandtrade.com11
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Made in Holland - Saba

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