Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is known as the main port of the Netherlands and is Europe’s third-largest cargo gateway
CNWNN Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is restructuring its Cargo Division, bringing it into its new Aviation Business Development Division under the umbrella of Business Unit Airport Operations and Aviation Partnerships, from the first of March 2021. From this date, Miriam Hoekstra–van der Deen will step down as Director Airport Operations and will be succeeded by Patricia Vitalis, Senior Manager Process, Development & Capacity Management.
The move will put all airline and cargo commercial and operational business into a single division under the leadership of Anne Marie van Hemert, Sr. Manager Aviation Business Development, reporting to Patricia Vitalis as the new head of the Airport Operations and Aviation Partnerships Business Unit.
Airport cargo information platform Cargonaut, recently acquired by Royal Schiphol Group, will also be part of the new Aviation Business Development Division.
Synergy and cooperation
“Cargo is, and remains, important to Schiphol and it supports the passenger network, making certain intercontinental routes profitable for many passenger airlines,” said Miriam Hoekstra–van der Deen.
“Having the route and business development managers and the cargo managers working more closely together will bring more synergy to the way we work and ensure that we can better support the airlines, especially during these challenging times.”
The new division will continue to support ongoing cargo initiatives by the community including Vaccines Gateway Netherlands, Pharma Gateway Amsterdam, the Holland Flower Alliance, and the Smart Cargo Mainport Program (SCMP), and will continue to fight for a dedicated cargo slot pool.
Digitization of all export goods
“The SCMP remains an important pillar of our cargo strategy, we aim to be the smartest and most sustainable cargo hub in Europe,” said Patricia Vitalis.
“On the first of January, we reached an important milestone, with all export goods delivered to Schiphol now completely digital.
“It is a good example of what you can do when you work together as a sector.”
Future-proofing the community
Schiphol is continuing with the renewal of Cargonaut’s Port Community System (PCS). Modernization will take place over the next 24 months, with all current services and processes remaining as they are until the new IT system is fully operational.
The project will future-proof the whole of Schiphol’s cargo community, strengthening the relationship between private and public companies by enhancing innovation and information exchange in the Dutch logistics sector and driving its competitive position as a leading cargo hub.
Staff changes
Bart Pouwels, Head of Cargo, and Ferry van der Ent, Director of Business Development will both leave Schiphol in March.
“We would like to thank Bart and Ferry for their inspirational leadership over the years at Schiphol Cargo and wish them the best for the future,” said Miriam Hoekstra–van der Deen.
A manager for the new Airline and Cargo Partnerships team will be appointed over the coming weeks.
Schiphol is Europe’s fourth-largest air cargo hub and welcomed 1.57 million tonnes of cargo in 2019.
Schiphol initiates and co-creates smart cargo solutions to help the airfreight community excel at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. One such initiative is the Smart Cargo Mainport Program (SCMP) in which Schiphol, together with supply chain partners, aims to integrate data and digitalize the air cargo supply chain by optimizing landside processes and launching innovations.
Schiphol and its cargo community launched Pharma Gateway Amsterdam that offers a CEIV-certified, closed and transparent pharma airport process.
Schiphol, together with KLM Cargo and Royal FloraHolland, are the founding fathers of the Holland Flower Alliance. An initiative was formed to optimize the logistics of the floricultural supply chain in East Africa and South America. The alliance focuses on the smooth transportation of flowers and plants from growers to wholesalers and is dedicated to the pursuit of innovation and sustainability in the floral supply chain.
Recently, Schiphol launched Vaccines Gateway Netherlands, a taskforce bringing together 60 Companies to ensure the safe, secure, and swift transportation of the COVID-19 vaccines from manufacturer to end-user. schiphol.com/cargo
