Schiphol during the pandemic (GK1900 / Shutterstock.com)
From March 2020 to February 2021, 14,1 million travelers flew to and from the five national airports in the Netherlands. That is a decrease of 82,6 percent compared to a year earlier. The amount of goods transported fell by 3,7 percent. This is reported by Statistics Netherlands on the basis of new figures.
On March 13, the Dutch government announced a (temporary) ban on passenger flights from the risk areas of Italy, China, South Korea and Iran. A day later, passenger flights to and from the Caribbean Netherlands (Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba) were cancelled. It was also recommended to only make necessary trips. Immediately after this announcement, the number of air passengers to and from the Netherlands fell by more than 12 percent to 57 thousand in week 385,1. In the weeks that followed, the number of passengers fell further, reaching a record low of 24,6 thousand passengers in week 16, mid-April. In week 16 a year earlier, this was 1,6 million passengers.
Relaxations were announced at the beginning of June, making travel to and from twelve countries within the European Union and the Caribbean Netherlands possible again from June 15. In week 25 (15 to 21 June), the number of travelers to and from Dutch airports exceeded 100 thousand for the first time. The first half of August 2020 ( (weeks 32 and 33) was the busiest period at the five national airports since March, with an average of almost 550 thousand air passengers per week. In 2019, most passengers were handled in weeks 31 and 32, 1,8 million passengers per week.
Stricter measures were introduced again on 14 December 2020. In January and February 2021, the number of passengers fell temporarily. In the last week of March 2021, 173 thousand passengers traveled through national airports, almost 39 percent more passengers used national airports than a year earlier, during the first lockdown.
Freight transport was less affected
The corona measures have had less effect on the amount of goods transported by air. While fewer goods were transported by air in the first months of the corona crisis due to flight restrictions, more air freight was transported from the end of September 2020 than in the comparable weeks a year earlier. In the fourth quarter of 2020, 457 thousand tons of goods were transported by air, 4,7 percent more than in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Destinations in corona year hardly changed
Of the 81,2 million air passengers who used the five national airports in the period from March 2019 to February 2020, 73,4 percent had a destination or origin within Europe. From March 2020 to February 2021, 76,8 percent of the 14,1 million passengers traveled within Europe.
From March 13,9 to February 2019, 2020 percent of air passengers traveled to and from the United Kingdom. 10,8 percent of all air passengers traveled to and from Spain. In the same period a year later, Spain and the United Kingdom traded places with respectively 10,7 percent and 9,0 percent of the total number of passengers carried. China is seen as one of the first corona fires. In the period from March 2019 to February 2020, 1,3 million passengers flew between the Netherlands and China, 1,6 percent of all air travelers. From March 2020 to February 2021, there were 103 thousand, 0,7 percent of all passengers.
About this blogger
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Known as Khun Peter (62), lives alternately in Apeldoorn and Pattaya. In a relationship with Kanchana for 14 years. Not yet retired, have my own company, something with insurance. Crazy about animals, especially dogs and music.
Enough hobbies, but unfortunately little time: writing for Thailandblog, fitness, health and nutrition, shooting sports, chatting with friends and some other oddities.
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