A major European regional airport is to halt all flight operations for more than five months as part of an expansion and renovation project.
Eindhoven Airport will not handle any commercial air services between 1 February and 19 July next year as it renovates its 3,000-meter single runway (03/21). An improved Instrument Landing System (ILS) will also be installed, enabling aircraft to land in dense fog.
The airport, in the southeast of the Netherlands, is also undertaking a major expansion of its terminal. The current building has a design capacity of 5 million passengers annually, but throughput last year reached a record 6.9 million. It was the third consecutive year in which footfall in the terminal had approached 7 million.
Last year, Alicante, Malaga, and Valencia (all in Spain), London, and Budapest were the top five destinations from the Dutch airport.
The terminal expansion is the largest construction project in the airport’s history and will enlarge the building by 12,000m². The project incorporates several sustainability features, including approximately 1,100 roof-mounted solar panels, taking the total throughout the airport to more than 3,000. The building will also incorporate a system for collecting rainwater for flushing toilets in the new terminal area.
In January, the highest point of the expansion of the terminal was officially reached with the placement of a wooden roof beam.
“Reaching the highest point is an important milestone for Eindhoven Airport,” the facility’s CEO, Roel Hellemons, said. “The expansion will soon offer our passengers significantly more space and comfort.”
The project will help future-proof the airport, said Ton Hillen, CEO of construction company Heijmans, which is undertaking the terminal expansion.
“This is a project where the proverbial shop remains open: construction continues while passengers are still able to travel via Eindhoven Airport.”
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