Amsterdam Schiphol Airport CEO resigns

Because Amsterdam Schiphol Airport continues to struggle with unparalleled operational problems even after the travel peak in the summer, the CEO of the airport is stepping down.

Dick Benschop steps down as CEO Schiphol Airport

This week Dick Benschop handed in his letter of resignation as President Director & CEO of Royal Schiphol Group. The Supervisory Board has accepted his resignation and is looking for a successor as soon as possible.

Benschop will remain in office until a successor is found. Here’s what he had to say about his decision to step down:

“There has been a lot of attention and criticism of Schiphol’s approach to the problems and of my responsibility as CEO. On my own initiative, I give Schiphol the space to make a new start. I do not want the attention for me as an individual to become an obstacle for Schiphol.”

“The situation at Schiphol and what that means for our travelers and employees is close to my heart. I’ve done my best, but we’re not there yet. I hope there will be an improvement soon. I love Schiphol. Running this company was a great honor.”

This is what Jaap Winter, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, had to say Benschop’s resignation:

“Due to the situation and the continuing bad news, the Supervisory Board has had very intensive contact with Schiphol’s management in recent months. All possibilities for improvement were and are discussed. Under Dick’s leadership, far-reaching measures have been taken to stabilize the situation at Schiphol. Improvements have been made during the summer, but this is not enough. Further intervention in the capacity and management of the security companies is necessary. As a national and international airport, Schiphol must once again offer the quality of service that passengers and airlines are used to. In recent years, Dick has shifted Schiphol’s course towards quality, care for the living environment and accelerating the sustainability of aviation. We are very grateful to him for his leadership. We respect and understand Dick’s decision to step down. We hope to find a successor soon.”

I feel sorry for the next CEO of Schiphol Airport

Schiphol had a disastrous summer. Passengers had to deal with security lines that were many hours long and thousands of bags were lost. The situation got so bad that the airport has even started compensating passengers for what went wrong.

The problem is that, even with the summer travel peak behind us, Schiphol Airport is still struggling and asking airlines to limit flights. I don’t know much about it Benschop, but I agree that a leadership change is appropriate in light of the situation. I mean, it can’t get any worse, right?

At the same time, I’m really not jealous of the person who decides to take this job. Not only will they continue to deal with the current labor shortage, but they will also deal with the financial implications of the government imposing a new long-term ‘green’ flight limit meaning the airpot will expand over time. will shrink significantly.

What it comes down to:

The CEO of Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is stepping down after the airport’s terrible performance in recent months. Hopefully a fresh look can make the airport less of a mess.

What do you think of the resignation of the CEO of Schiphol Airport?