Schiphol Airport To Cut Up To 25 Percent Workforce

January 27, 2009

Amsterdam airport operator Schiphol Group said on Tuesday it would cut 10 to 25 percent of its 2,200 workforce as a result of a strong decline in traffic and increased international competition.

"This staff reduction will be achieved through natural attrition, outsourcing and job cuts," Schiphol said in a statement.

Schiphol Group, which also holds stakes in Brisbane airport and in Terminal 4 of New York's John F Kennedy Airport, is the fifth-largest passenger airport in Europe.

It said earlier this month it expected a sharp decline in passenger and cargo traffic in 2009 mainly as a result of the global financial crisis.

In 2008, 47.4 million passengers used the airport, 0.8 percent fewer than the previous year. Air transport movements dropped 1.8 percent to 428,350 and cargo traffic also declined by 1.4 percent to a total of 1.59 million tonnes.