Olympic long-distance swimming champion Maarten van der Weijden opened the fish-sitting service at the airport on Wednesday. The initiative is part of a campaign by the travel agent that uses fish in its advertising.
A large aquarium looking like a hotel - including a tennis court and a pool with slide - with 80 permanent residents will be visible to passengers travelling through Schiphol. Goldfish dropped off by travellers will get private suites, so that they don't get mixed up and catch each others' diseases, D-reizen director Steven van Nieuwenhuizen explained.
And if a fish happens to die when its owners are away, D-reizen will not swap the pet for another one without telling the owners, Van Nieuwenhuizen said. They will be able to take home another one from the tank.
