Schiphol Airport is restructuring its cargo division in a move that will put airline and cargo into a single division starting March to create synergy between its commercial and operations units.
The new consolidated Aviation Business Development Division will be led by Anne Marie van Hemert, senior manager of aviation business development. Miriam Hoekstra–van der Deen will step down as director of airport operations and will be succeeded by Patricia Vitalis, current senior manager of process, development & capacity management, who will serve as the new head of the Airport Operations and Aviation Partnerships business unit.
Airport cargo information platform Cargonaut, recently acquired by Royal Schiphol Group, will also be part of the new Aviation Business Development Division.
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“Cargo is, and remains, important to Schiphol and it supports the passenger network, making certain intercontinental routes profitable for many passenger airlines,” said Miriam Hoekstra – van der Deen.
“Having the route and business development managers and the cargo managers working more closely together will bring more synergy to the way we work and ensure that we can better support the airlines, especially during these challenging times.”
Schipol said the new division will continue to support ongoing initiatives by its cargo community, including Vaccines Gateway Netherlands, Pharma Gateway Amsterdam, the Holland Flower Alliance, and the Smart Cargo Mainport Program (SCMP). It will also continue to ‘fight’ for a dedicated cargo slot pool.
“On the first of January we reached an important milestone, with all export goods delivered to Schiphol now completely digital, said Patricia Vitalis, citing the airport’s aim to the smartest and most sustainable cargo hub in Europe.
Schiphol is modernising Cargonaut’s Port Community System (PCS) over the next 2 years to future-proof the cargo business, and the project is expected to enhance innovation and information exchange in the Dutch logistics sector. All current services and processes will remain as they are until the new IT system is fully operational, the airport noted.
As part of the cargo division restructuring, Bart Pouwels, Head of Cargo, and Ferry van der Ent, Director of Business Development, will exit Schiphol in March.
