Bomb found at Amsterdam Schiphol airport

[fox niner]

It surely is an attention grabbing headline, but fortunately there is no terrorism involved at all: It is an old bomb dating from the second world war. Apparently it has been there, undetected, until they did some regular maintenance/construction work near gate C13. (work started two weeks ago)

link:

Vliegtuigbom gevonden op Schiphol - Binnenland | Het laatste nieuws uit Nederland leest u op Telegraaf.nl [binnenland] (http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/12850452/__Vliegtuigbom_gevonden_op_Schiphol__.html)

Impact is going to be huge: the whole C pier is evacuated, and all gates on the southern side of the D pier as well as some gates on the B pier are not to be used.

[KingAir1978]

Translation of the article on telegraaf.nl


SCHIPHOL - Pier C at the airport of Amsterdam, Schiphol, has been closed down, after a WW2 bomb was found. The bomb was found during excavations.


The bomb was found during excavations. The EOD is on its way. According to Schiphol the closure of Pier C will affect air traffic. It is not known how long the closure will last.

Travelers

The type of bomb, is yet unknown. Travelers have been advised to keep an eye on Schiphol's website and to keep in touch with their airline.

The C-pier at Schiphol Airport is mainly used for departures to Schengen countries. The B-pier as well as the D-pier from gate 59 are also used for flights to Schengen Countries. The Schengen area includes 26 countries in Europe, including Iceland.

Bombed

That an explosive from WW2 has been found at Schiphol, is not surprising. The airport has been bombed by the Germans at the beginning of WW2. The Germans confiscated the aerodrome and expanded its runways.

During the course of the war, Schiphol was bombed again, this time by the Allies. That occurred on December the 13th 1943. Approximately 200 American B-26 airplanes dropped their bombs on the airport.

During the occupation the Germans caused heavy destructions to the Aerodrome. Buildings were leveled and runways sabotaged.

Vliegtuigbom gevonden op Schiphol

SCHIPHOL - Pier C op de Amsterdamse luchthaven Schiphol is afgesloten nadat er een bom uit de Tweede Wereldoorlog is aangetroffen. De bom werd gevonden tijdens graafwerkzaamheden.

De bom werd gevonden tijdens graafwerkzaamheden. De Explosieven Opruimingsdienst Defensie EOD is onderweg. Volgens Schiphol zal de afsluiting van de C-pier gevolgen hebben voor het luchtverkeer. Hoe lang de afsluiting gaat duren, is nog niet bekend.
Reizigers
Om wat voor soort bom het gaat, moet nog blijken. Reizigers wordt geadviseerd de site van Schiphol in de gaten te houden en contact te houden met hun luchtvaartmaatschappij.
De C-pier op luchthaven Schiphol wordt voornamelijk gebruikt voor vertrek naar Schengenlanden. Ook de B-pier en een deel van de D-pier vanaf gate 59 worden gebruikt voor vluchten naar Schengenlanden. De Schengenzone omvat 26 landen in Europa, inclusief IJsland.
Gebombardeerd
Dat er een explosief uit de Tweede Wereldoorlog is gevonden op Schiphol, is niet verwonderlijk. De luchthaven werd in het begin van de oorlog door de Duitsers gebombardeerd. De Duitsers namen het vliegveld in beslag en breidden het aantal start- en landingsbanen uit.
In de loop van de oorlog werd Schiphol opnieuw gebombardeerd, deze keer door de geallieerden. Dat gebeurde op 13 december 1943. Ongeveer 200 Amerikaanse B-26 vliegtuigen lieten toen hun bommen vallen op het vliegveld.
Gedurende de bezetting richtten de Duitsers zware vernielingen aan op de luchthaven. Gebouwen werden met de grond gelijk gemaakt en start- en landingsbanen onklaar gemaakt.

[Flying Wild]

From the BBC: BBC News - Amsterdam's Schiphol airport evacuated over 'WWII bomb' (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19408265)


Part of Amsterdam's Schiphol airport has been closed after a suspected World War II bomb was discovered, a spokeswoman said.

The departure hall serving most European destinations has been evacuated as a precautionary measure.

Delays are now affecting some departures and passengers are advised to check their flights before leaving for the airport.

A bomb disposal team is trying to establish whether the device is live.

The bomb was uncovered by workers digging near Pier C, which connects the main plaza with Departure Hall One, serving most destinations within Europe's 26-country passport-free Schengen zone.

"This will have a big impact. We can park planes somewhere else to some extent but at some point it will lead to cancellations or delays," the spokeswoman said earlier, according to Reuters news agency.

Schiphol was used as a military airfield by Nazi Germany during the 1939-45 war, and was often attacked by allied bombers, Dutch media said.

It is now one of Europe's busiest airports, handling some 48 million passengers every year.

Unexploded bombs dating back to the war are still frequently discovered in Europe.

A 550lb (250kg) American bomb was detonated by a bomb disposal team in the German city of Munich on Tuesday.

A 1.5-tonne mortar bomb probably fired by Nazi forces was also safely removed from the Polish capital, Warsaw.

[visibility3miles]

Flying Wild

Same story in BBC. Poor choice of words:

"This will have a big impact..."

Better than the old tanks of poisonous gas they find from time-to-time.

[DX Wombat]

The BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19408265) is reporting that a suspected WW2 bomb has been discovered at Schipol.

[EZY7117LPL]

hasn't this happened before?

[Jack1985]

Report's that VY8366 from Malaga to Amsterdam was hijacked have now proven untrue, seem's to be a big overreaction to a communication problem. Lively day in Schiphol today.

[RAT 5]

Open day for beachcombers at Schiphol. Volunteers asked to grid search the whole airport. Free heineken at the end of a shift, and free for a year if you find something unfriendly and deadly. Don't forget to wear a Hi-Viz for safety; oh, and goggles and a silly hat to identify yourself from all the other hi-viz cloggies.