22.4 million passengers used Dutch airports in third quarter

More than 22 million passengers travelled to and from the Netherlands’ five national airports in the third quarter of 2026, as passenger numbers rose slightly while commercial flights fell, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) says.

The 22.4 million passengers were 0.9% more than in the same quarter a year earlier. The number of commercial flights, which carry passengers or freight for payment, fell 1.8% to 144,500.

Three-quarters of passengers travelled between the Netherlands and another European destination. Spain was the most popular European country, with 3.2 million passengers. The United Kingdom followed with 2.2 million.

Schiphol handled 19.4 million passengers, or 86.7% of the total, and 87.1% of all flights. Eindhoven Airport accounted for 2.1 million passengers. The other three national airports handled 903,500 between them.

August was the busiest month, with 7.7 million passengers. The busiest day of the quarter was 10 August, when more than 261,200 travellers passed through the terminals of a national airport.

Of the 5.6 million passengers travelling between the Netherlands and destinations outside Europe, 1.7 million flew to or from the United States. CBS says that share has remained broadly unchanged in the third quarter in recent years.