Amsterdam airport’s owner Royal Schiphol Group has appointed Pieter van Oord as its next chief executive officer after a year-long process to find a permanent leader for the Dutch hub.
Van Oord, who has managed a family-run international maritime contractor since 2008, will take over from June 1, 2024, Royal Schiphol said in a statement. His term will run through 2028, according to the statement. Interim CEO Ruud Sondag will step down in March 2024.
Schiphol has been at the center of a controversial plan by the Netherlands to reduce capacity at the hub that came under fire from airlines and industry groups.
Earlier this month, the Netherlands abandoned the first stage of the plan to reduce capacity at the airport, bowing to pressure from the European Union and the US, which threatened to retaliate after JetBlue Airways Corp. was barred from Schiphol over the restrictions. The government’s plan to reduce flights at Schiphol Airport by 10% from November next year still stands.
Read More: Dutch Back Down in JetBlue Flap That Risked KLM Ouster at JFK
Previous Schiphol CEO Dick Benschop resigned in Summer 2022 as the airport struggled to ramp back up from the Covid-19 pandemic. Passengers were hit by long lines as well as flight cancellations caused by staff shortages, and the airport was forced to implement capacity limits.
(Updates with details about the planned capacity cuts)
