How Schiphol handled the arrival of dozens of world leaders during the NATO Summit

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The NATO Summit has come to an end, and Schiphol looks back on a successful reception of dozens of world leaders and heads of state. Over the past few days, many leaders and their delegations arrived and departed via a specially designated area at the airport – all while regular air traffic continued as normal. Thanks to careful preparation and close cooperation with our partners, everything ran smoothly and according to plan.

“It was an honour for Schiphol to support such an important NATO Summit during these times. And all of this while still handling 180,000 to 200,000 passengers per day. These past days have once again demonstrated the power of aviation: connecting people and countries. I’d like to thank all our partners and every colleague who made this possible. These were truly remarkable days.”
Pieter van Oord, CEO of Royal Schiphol Group

After landing, delegations were welcomed in a specially arranged area at Schiphol. Short reception moments took place there, after which the aircraft were towed to the Polderbaan runway, which temporarily served as a parking area. From the reception area, heads of state, presidents and prime ministers made their way to the World Forum in The Hague, where the NATO Summit was held.

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Temporary NATO terminal
To support the operation, Schiphol set up a temporary NATO terminal where passport checks, baggage handling and customs formalities were carried out.

Teamwork behind the scenes
Behind the scenes, Schiphol worked closely with numerous partners and organisations to make the operation run smoothly. Thanks to this joint effort, everything was executed down to the last detail. With thorough preparation and teamwork, we showed what is possible during an international summit of this scale.