Amsterdam airport Schiphol on Thursday announced net profit of €97.3m for the first half of 2011, a rise of 40.5% on the year-earlier period.

The airport attributes the rise to a combination of passenger growth of 13.4%, higher airport charges and a climb in turnover of 10.8% in its shops and restaurants.
CEO Jos Nijhuis said in a statement that Schiphol expects to carry a record 49 million passengers in 2011, up from 45 million in 2010. He forecast end of year profit above 2010’s €169m.
Freight also grew, by 5.2% over the period, although June showed a drop of 1.6%.
This is mainly due to a fall in freight traffic from Asia and China, Nijhuis said.