Cargo “at the heart” of Schiphol Airport with upcoming merger

HEART OF THE BUSINESS: Amsterdam Schiphol transported 1.75 million tonnes of cargo in 2017

Schiphol Cargo is to merge with Amsterdam Airport Schiphol’s existing Aviation and Marketing Department. Maaike van der Windt will head up the new Aviation Marketing and Cargo Division from its launch on April 1 2018.

Jonas van Stekelenburg, who has headed up Schiphol Cargo for nearly three years, will support the development of the division, before leaving Schiphol this summer.

“The new department puts cargo at the heart of our airport and the teams will benefit from the combined expertise and the synergies this will bring,” said van Stekelenburg.

Van der Windt has two decades of experience working in the aviation industry and joined Schiphol Group as Head of Aviation Marketing last year after working in a number of senior management roles for Brisbane Airport, Australia.

“The new structure will ensure that cargo is robustly represented in the future,” said van der Windt.

“Furthermore, we recognise the importance of belly capacity beside full freight capacity and aligning cargo with passenger network and business development ensures we optimise opportunities.”

Van der Windt will report to André van der Berg, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol’s Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), ensuring that cargo continues to have a direct line into the hub’s leadership team.

“Cargo is important to Schiphol and aligning the departments in this way ensures that we can continue to develop our service quality for our freight community,” said van der Berg.

“I would like to thank Jonas for his dedication to Schiphol Cargo, his pursuit of enhanced ground operations, and for driving digital efforts under the Smart Cargo Mainport Program.”

As Head of Cargo, Jonas van Stekelenburg initiated various digitalisation solutions for shipments, including advanced trucking data, Customs data, and flower production and shipment data.

“I really enjoyed working with everybody in the cargo and aviation industry. Cargo is not difficult but – because of the many players and the many aspects of shipments – can be quite complex. Solving these puzzles is a real joy,” said van Stekelenburg.

“I look forward to starting a new challenge as of the summer, making good use of the experience gained at Schiphol.”