Kempen Airport

Kempen Airport Budel Aerodrome Vliegveld Kempen
IATA: QEK ICAO: EHBD
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Budel Aerodrome b.v./ Kempen Airport
Location	Budel
Elevation AMSL	114 ft / 35 m
Coordinates	51°15′16″N 005°36′03″E
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 03/21 1,199 3,934 Concrete/Asphalt 03/21 600 1,969 Grass
Sources: AIP

Kempen Airport or Budel Airport (Dutch: Vliegveld Kempen), also just called Budel after the nearby town, is a general aviation airport in the south-east of the Netherlands located 5 NM (9.3 km; 5.8 mi) west of Weert and near the border with Belgium. Its main runway, 03/21, is a 1,199 m (3,934 ft) long asphalt runway. There is a second runway for microlight aircraft only, located next to the main runway, and is 600 m (1,969 ft) long.

The airport opened in 1970, initially only with a grass runway. An asphalt runway was created in 1991 of 930 m (3,051 ft), which was expanded later to its current length. Approach and runway lighting followed, making the airport suitable for IFR flights. With around 80,000 movements (a movement being a takeoff or landing) a year, it is amongst the largest general aviation airports in the Netherlands. International flights are allowed to and from the airport and it is used extensively by business aircraft, accounting for 80% of all aircraft movements.

Accidents

• On October 26, 2009, a Pilatus PC-12 registered PH-RUL on its way to Frankfurt Egelsbach Airport crashed in a field shortly after take-off from Kempen Airport's Runway 21. The two people on board died. An investigation was performed by the Dutch Safety Board however the cause of the accident was never conclusively determined. The aircraft was new, having had its first flight in May that same year.

External links

• Kempen Airport official website
• Airliners.net - Photos taken at Kempen Airport