The international airport in Eindhoven, Netherlands, will significantly improve in the future following the plan to renovate the runway at Eindhoven Air Base completely. However, the decision means the closure of the airport for five months.
The project is expected to take place between February and June 2027, with work expected to be finalised in approximately 22 weeks.
However, the announcement has raised concerns among travel industry leaders. According to them, it could lead to about 17,000 flight cancellations, thus obliging 3 million passengers to travel away from Eindhoven airport to other airports in the Netherlands, based on a report from Expat News.
Eindhoven is an important airport, with 6.9 million passengers annually; that is 10 per cent of air transport in the Netherlands. During the 22-week closure, flights will have to be transferred to other airports, the ANVR added.
Still, up to this point, no official start date has been confirmed by the Ministry of Defense, which owns this airport, nor plans when to close the airport.
The announcement paves the way for interested contractors to register for the project’s tender until the end of February. Soon after, the government will choose six candidates in order to complete the tender.
The work that will need to be undertaken includes the renovation of the Air Base’s runway as well as new cabling, lighting, and drainage. The plan also seeks to upgrade the airport’s Instrument Landing System (ILS) from Category 1 to Category 3, thus permitting pilots to undertake precision landings with low or no visibility, such as in thick fog or poor weather.
According to a report from Expat News, an improvement from the existing Category 1 to Category 3 is expected to cost €10 million.
The data from World Data info reveal that Eindhoven is the second busiest airport in the Netherlands.
According to an Aviation Source report, Eindhoven Airport reached record passenger traffic in 2023, welcoming a total of 6.8 million passengers.
The statistics recorded last year show that not only were 2022 figures surpassed, during which period 6.3 million passengers were registered, but also 2019 figures of 6.7 million.
Last year, the airport registered 41,49 flight movements, thus aligning with its licensed maximum of 41,500.
