IN Brief:
- KLM cargo activities will move from Schiphol Centre to the planned Vracht 15 facility in Schiphol South-East.
- The relocation also covers KLM Catering Services and Topside facilities.
- The agreement supports airport redevelopment, larger aircraft stands, and a strengthened Dutch cargo sector.
KLM and Royal Schiphol Group have signed the final agreement for the relocation of several KLM facilities at Amsterdam Schiphol, including the airline’s cargo buildings.
KLM’s cargo activities will move from Schiphol Centre to the planned Vracht 15 cargo facility in Schiphol South-East. KLM Catering Services will relocate to Schiphol North, while Topside facilities will also move to new locations within the airport estate.
The relocation supports the Schiphol Centre Master Plan, which sets out the airport’s development over the next 25 years. Moving the cargo buildings creates space for future aircraft stands, supports the planned Terminal South development, and allows KLM and Schiphol to invest in a more centralised cargo area for the Netherlands.
Vracht 15 is being developed as a modern, centrally organised, and accessible cargo area. Schiphol has also linked the wider redevelopment programme to better working conditions, improved airport quality, and more sustainable infrastructure. The design phase for the new cargo building in Schiphol South-East is beginning, with an architectural tender already under way.
Airport cargo capacity is under growing pressure from competing land uses. Passenger growth, larger aircraft, terminal expansion, emissions reduction, labour availability, and security requirements all place demands on constrained airport estates. At major European hubs, cargo operations must now fit into wider master plans rather than occupy legacy facilities indefinitely.
The Schiphol relocation gives KLM and the airport a chance to redesign cargo flows around a more concentrated site. Air cargo efficiency depends on more than warehouse size. Landside access, truck circulation, ULD handling, security control, customs interfaces, temperature-sensitive capacity, and digital handovers all determine whether freight moves smoothly through a gateway.
The project also sits within a freight market where time-sensitive cargo is becoming more demanding. Pharma, high-tech equipment, ecommerce, perishables, aircraft parts, and industrial components all rely on dependable airport handling. A more centralised cargo area can support those flows if it reduces internal movement, improves working conditions, and gives handlers room to manage peaks.
Sustainability is also reshaping European freight infrastructure. Schiphol is targeting a 90% reduction in emissions from the airport and all ground activities by 2030 compared with 2019 levels. That will influence building design, energy systems, vehicle movements, and ground operations. The same pressure is visible in freight corridors beyond aviation, including zero-emission truck corridor development at Long Beach, where freight infrastructure is being aligned with cleaner vehicle operations.
Relocations of this scale can introduce transition risk. Forwarders, handlers, airlines, and road feeder services will need clarity on phasing, access, interfaces, and future operating procedures. If the new cargo area delivers shorter internal movements and better site organisation, the benefits could extend beyond KLM to the wider Dutch air cargo ecosystem.
Schiphol remains one of Europe’s key freight gateways, and its cargo estate has to evolve alongside aircraft, passenger, and emissions requirements. The Vracht 15 move gives the airport a clearer route to modernise freight handling while freeing space for its passenger and aviation development programme.
