Enschede Airport Twente
Enschede Airport Twente (Advanced Landing Ground B-106) | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Restricted use | ||||||||||
| Operator | Enschede Airport Twente | ||||||||||
| Serves | Enschede, Netherlands | ||||||||||
| Location | Enschede, Netherlands | ||||||||||
| Built | 1931 | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 115 ft / 35 m | ||||||||||
| Website | ADTTwente.nl | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  EHTW Location of Enschede Airport Twente | |||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||
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Enschede Airport Twente (IATA: ENS, ICAO: EHTW) is located 2 NM (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) outside of Enschede, Twente, Netherlands. It has one runway (06/24), though one of the current taxiways has been used as a runway (taxiway A, formerly runway 16/34). The airport is currently uncontrolled and closed for scheduled passenger flights and military operations. A local flying club uses the airport for their activities. The airport's future is uncertain.
History
Twente Airport was opened July 1931 by the mayor of Enschede, Edo Bergsma. KLM started a scheduled flight to Amsterdam in 1932, which was suspended in 1939. During World War II the German Luftwaffe took over the airport and made it a military airbase, renaming it Fliegerhorst Twente. In April 1945 allied troops reoccupied the airport and transferred ownership to the Dutch armed forces. A minor typo in the deed misspelled the airport name as Airbase Twenthe, with an added 'h'.[2]
After World War II the airport became a "joint use airport", with both civil and military use. The military stationed both fighter and trainer aircraft at the base. Aircraft based at Twente since the Second World War include the Gloster Meteor, Lockheed T-33, Fokker S.14 Machtrainer, Hawker Hunter, North American F-86K Sabre, Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, Northrop NF-5 and General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon.
For civil operations the airport was renamed to Enschede Airport Twente and ran by the privately held company Enschede Airport Twente BV.
On 7 December 2007 military use of the airport ceased. As of 1 January 2008 the airport has been closed for civil aviation as well, pending governmental agreement on the future of the airport. On 16 June 2010 the province of Overijssel agreed on a spatial plan including an airport.[3]
On 1 December 2010 the ownership of the airport grounds was transferred to the Twente region and the city of Enschede.[4] Though it was attempted to find a party interested in operating the airport commercially, it was announced on 4 December 2012 that despite three parties showing interest in this proposal, none of them made a bid to operate it.[5] In March of 2013, the military briefly re-opened the airport for military use as part of exercise Cerberus Guard.[6]
In March of 2014 the government proposed that the airport could re-open for General Aviation users in 2015, and commercial traffic in 2016. Movements would be limited to 22.000 a year under the current proposal primarily for noise abatement.[7] However, in June of 2014 both the provincial government and the city of Enschede abandoned the plan to re-open the airport for commercial traffic. The future of the airport remains uncertain.[8] In August 2015 it was announced that Belgian aircraft recycling firm Aeronextlife intends to start using the airport to scrap aircraft, starting early 2016.[9] Should this happen, Aeronextlife will become responsible for the costs of certain vital services required for airport operation, such as a fire fighting presence during aircraft operations.[10]
Airlines and destinations
Currently there are no scheduled flights from Enschede Airport.
Historical destinations include charter flights to Las Palmas, Antalya, Palma de Mallorca, Faro and Heraklion.
General aviation
The airport currently sees limited use by general aviation. For safety purposes, pending re-operation and development of the airport, the number of users of the airport is restricted. Only the Dutch Academy of Commercial Pilots (NAV) and the Twente Flying Club are allowed to operate from the airport. In addition, the Twente Glider Club and the Twente Radio-controlled Model Aircraft Club are permitted to use the airport for their recreational flying activities.[11]
Access
Enschede Airport is accessible by car via the nearby A1 motorway, exit 33. The car park is adjacent to the terminal and free of charge.
There are no public transport links to Enschede Airport.
References
- ^ EHTW – ENSCHEDE/Twenthe. AIP from AIS the Netherlands, effective 31 October 2024
- ^ Geschiedenis EHTW (in Dutch), retrieved 21 December 2010
- ^ The Province of Overijssel established its spatial perspective on Twente Airport and its environs, 17 June 2010, retrieved 21 December 2010
- ^ Kick-off 1 december (in Dutch), retrieved 21 December 2010
- ^ Anouk Eigenraam, NRC.nl - Niemand wil vliegveld Twente hebben, article retrieved 9 December 2012.
- ^ Airliners.net - G-273 (cn 382-5273) Tactical off-loading during exercise 'Cerberus Guard' at the temporarily re-opened Twenthe Airbase, retrieved 9 May, 2013.
- ^ Luchtvaartnieuws.nl (2014) - Luchthaven Twente: 22.000 starts en landingen, article retrieved 8 March, 2014.
- ^ De Volkskrant (June 2014), Vliegveld Twente wordt geen luchthaven voor burgervluchten, article retrieved 9 October, 2014.
- ^ RTV Oost (2015), Vliegtuigsloopbedrijf vestigt zich op Technology Base Twente, article retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ^ Tubantia (2015) - Wethouder: 'Geen belastinggeld naar luchthavenfaciliteiten Aeronextlife', article retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ^ Is Twente Airport operational?, retrieved 21 December 2010