Airports of the Netherlands: Schiphol and 9 Regional Gateways

The Netherlands has 10 certified airports — one global hub, nine regional/specialized. All in a country the size of Maryland.

1. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS)

Global hub: 71M passengers (2019), 300+ destinations, 100+ airlines. KLM hub, SkyTeam. 6 runways, single-terminal design (pier concept). 15 min by train to Amsterdam Centraal. Cargo: 1.7M tons. Europe's 3rd busiest.

2. Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM)

Business/leisure: 2.1M pax. London City, Barcelona, Rome, seasonal sun. 5 km from Rotterdam Centraal. No night flights (noise).

3. Eindhoven Airport (EIN)

Low-cost/growth: 6.7M pax (2019). Ryanair, Transavia, Wizz base. 8 km from city. Fastest-growing Dutch airport. Cargo rising.

4. Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST)

Cargo/charter: 250K pax, but 60K tons cargo (3rd NL). Ryanair seasonal. Aachen (DE) / Liège (BE) catchment. Night flights allowed.

5. Groningen Airport Eelde (GRQ)

Regional: 220K pax. KLM Cityhopper (Amsterdam), holiday charters. 10 km south Groningen. Energy hub (hydrogen aviation testbed).

6. Lelystad Airport (LEY)

GA/Business: No scheduled pax. Largest GA airport NL. Business aviation, training (CAE, KLM Flight Academy), maintenance. Future: potential LCC overflow (politically contested).

7. Teuge Airport (TEU)

GA/Training: Near Deventer. Flight schools, skydiving, gliding. No scheduled service.

8. Hilversum Airport (HIL)

GA/Helicopter: Media hub (Media Park). Helicopter base (ANWB Medical Air Assistance). No fixed-wing scheduled.

9. Woensdrecht Airport (WOE)

Military/Maintenance: Air Force base (tactical training). Fokker Services / KLM Engineering maintenance hangars. No civil scheduled.

10. Deelen Air Base (DBN)

Military: RNLAF helicopter training (Apache, Chinook, Cougar). No civil aviation.

System Logic

Schiphol = global connectivity. Regional airports = niche (LCC, cargo, GA, military). High-speed rail (HSL-Zuid) substitutes short-haul flights. Dutch aviation policy: "Schiphol first, regional complement."