Groningen Airport Eelde has not succeeded in taking over several flights of tour operator TUI from Schiphol. TUI and Eelde are against the restrictions on the opening hours of the airport.
“During the summer, there were about 25 flights a week,” says director Meiltje de Groot of the airport. According to TUI, the opening hours between 06.30 and 23.00 were not sufficient to carry out these flights from Eelde. The travel organization now opts for Rotterdam The Hague Airport and Liège in Belgium.
Not going through with these flights is a serious disappointment for Eelde. The financially distressed airport could have put the revenue to good use and hoped for a flywheel effect towards next spring and summer.
The airport has been trying to bring in flights with all its strength for several months and says it is in talks with various tour operators and airlines about this summer and next year.
Last Friday’s cabinet decision to allow Schiphol to shrink and the ongoing uncertainty surrounding whether or not Lelystad Airport will open should offer the airport the opportunity to bring in those extra flights.