Main airports
Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) is the national gateway and the main hub. It handled 68.8 million passengers in 2025, still below the 2019 record of about 71.7 million. It was connected to about 300 destinations in 2025, and 43.6 million of its passengers started or ended their journey there; the rest were transferring.
Eindhoven Airport (EIN) is in the south of the country. It is the second-largest airport in the Netherlands, with 6.96 million passengers in 2025. It also handles military traffic. Its busiest routes in 2024 were to Málaga, London Stansted and Alicante, so it is mainly a point-to-point leisure and short-haul airport.
Rotterdam The Hague Airport is a smaller third option, run by the same group. Schiphol's flights are capped at 478,000 a year, and 477,552 were operated in 2025, so growth there depends on larger aircraft.
Which airport for which airline
Schiphol is the main base of Transavia (HV), the low-cost arm of Air France-KLM. Transavia also has bases at Rotterdam The Hague, Eindhoven and Brussels. Check the departure airport on the booking, because the same route can leave from different Dutch airports.
- Amsterdam Schiphol is the base for KLM (KL) and the airport for connections to the long-haul network.
- Eindhoven is a better choice for travellers in Noord-Brabant and Limburg, but it has far fewer destinations than Schiphol.
- Do not assume that a flight to "Amsterdam" uses Schiphol. Eindhoven is about 120 km away and Rotterdam The Hague is a separate airport.
Check each airline's own site for current routes from each airport.
Getting between airports and into the city
At Schiphol, the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) station sits directly under the terminal and runs around the clock to Amsterdam, Utrecht, The Hague and Rotterdam. Intercity trains also run to Eindhoven Centraal and other cities, so a rail journey between Schiphol and Eindhoven is possible without a car. Check NS for current times and fares.
Eindhoven Airport is linked to the city and its railway station by bus. See Eindhoven Airport for the current route, timetable and fares.
Schiphol's train and bus interchange is being redeveloped as the Multimodal Hub Schiphol, so expect building work around the station area.
Airlines: full-service and low-cost
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL) is the national full-service carrier, based at Schiphol. It belongs to the same group as Transavia, Air France-KLM.
Transavia (HV) is the group's low-cost airline. It uses the Flying Blue loyalty programme, and its fleet is being renewed with Airbus A320neo-family aircraft.
Eindhoven's route list is dominated by European low-cost services. Fares on low-cost airlines normally cover only the seat and a small cabin item. Checked bags, seat selection and priority boarding are usually added, so check the fare conditions before booking.
Schiphol raised airport charges by 41 per cent from April 2025, and KLM warned this could push fares up. A further 5 per cent rise planned for April 2026 was dropped.
Lounges
Schiphol has several airline and independent lounges across its terminal; the full list and access rules are on the Schiphol lounges page. The Lounge 1 area was expanded in 2024.
Eindhoven has a business lounge, Aspire by Swissport.
Travellers without airline status can usually enter independent lounges by buying a day pass or by using a lounge membership or card. Check the lounge operator's current conditions and prices before travelling. Access to airline-run lounges normally depends on the ticket class or status.
When to fly
Schiphol is operating close to its annual flight cap, so busy periods fill quickly. The airport expects between 68 and 72 million passengers in 2026.
Dutch school holidays, which differ by region, are the usual peak times for leisure travel. The Dutch government publishes the dates for each year. For weather, see the KNMI (the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute) for current warnings. For tourism information, see Holland.com.
Allow extra time at Schiphol during busy periods, particularly for security and check-in.
