Security wait times

Security wait times at Schiphol are longer than usual today, 18 May 2026. We are very sorry for the inconvenience this is causing passengers and airlines. Today we transitioned to a new security organisation at Schiphol, and unfortunately we have experienced issues in that process. We advise passengers to arrive at the airport in good time: two hours before departure for Schengen flights and three hours for non‑Schengen flights. This allows sufficient time for check‑in and security screening. The latest information is available via our website, the Schiphol app and the airlines.

We have had a difficult start to the new security organisation due to a combination of factors, particularly unexpected staff shortages among security officers and IT issues this morning that continue to affect operations throughout the day. We expect that passengers may unfortunately still experience longer queues than usual for the rest of the day. We have deployed additional office staff and are distributing water to passengers.

We recognise that this is also an intensive period for security staff. Schiphol is required to run European tenders, and we understand this creates uncertainty. The transition from five to three security companies places significant demands on staff and brings substantial changes. We are seeing higher-than-expected levels of sickness absence. We take this seriously and are in continuous dialogue with the security companies and trade unions.

In total, around 1.400 flights operated to and from Schiphol today, and approximately 68.000 passengers departed from the airport.