Schiphol SmartGate facility nears completion - and ahead of schedule

SCHILPHOL SmartGate Cargo has entered the final production stages ahead of schedule before the launch a new integrated monitoring system for goods leaving the EU from Amsterdam airport.

"Together with customs, we are building an integrated inspection facility both at a central location and a decentralised one," said Schiphol vice president Enno Osinga, adding that attendant equipment is now being purchased.

The SmartGate Cargo database is ready to launch and the Customs Control Centre and its central helpdesk for customs has been built.

Despite a slowdown in its cargo traffic during a year when it welcomed Air China Cargo five-times-weekly service, the Amsterdam Schiphol airport is confident its volumes compare well to others.

"The positive side is that, whereas we're three per net down, most of our major, big competitors seem to be 10 per cent down year over year," Mr Osinga said.

"The outcome, ultimately, was that the airlines go where the forwarders are. Our strategy has been to get the forwarders to Schiphol, which we've done," he added despite a wobbly market confidence, reported Atlanta-area Air Cargo World.

The future is uncertain but he said setting an operation that focuses on different outcomes is key so that it can meet with demand, or slowdown, shown in its confident move to build a high-tech trucking facility.

"This is the time to invest in infrastructure because the building industry is low," he said. "So quite frankly, when you want you invest, you can get good deals now."