Release us from the airport. That is somewhat the undertone of the discussion in Limburg politics about the future of Maastricht Aachen Airport (MAA). Not that everyone thinks it should be closed, but everyone finds it undesirable to continue with the province as owner. “Help us get rid of that airport, because it is not a core task of a local government,” Teun Heldens, member of the Provincial Council for the VVD, says aloud.
The desire to distance MAA is also partly motivated by the intense discussion that is now raging. Members of Parliament, part-time politicians, can make it a day job – investigations and visions follow each other in rapid succession. Heldens: “We can no longer see the airport due to the reports.”
This Tuesday, the province will provide more clarity about the airport. Then Deputy Stephan Satijn (Economics, VVD) speaks out in favor of one of the four future scenarios that are presented. At the same time, it will become clear whether the discussions with the Royal Schiphol Group, which took place confidentially in recent months, have yielded any results. The province itself approached the operator of the airport near Amsterdam. The group already owns several regional airports. It owns Rotterdam The Hague Airport and Lelystad Airport and holds a majority stake in Eindhoven Airport.
The Limburg airport has rarely been flourishing. Just before the turn of the millennium, some expected a flourishing future by constructing an east-west runway next to the existing north-south runway. But after fierce resistance, plans for this were canceled in 1999.
The involvement of the province was already great at that time. The Gouvernement, the provincial government in Maastricht, regularly provided financial support, and a former commissioner and former civil servants were given key positions in and around the airport.
Over time, the province itself became the operator. In 2014, the States of Limburg decided to assume responsibility for a maximum of ten years. In 2016, the concession was successfully transferred to private investors, but in 2019 that adventure went awry. Then everything again fell on the shoulders of the province. Tens of millions of euros have been added over the years.
Closure was taboo
Now that a decision has to be made about the further future, various scenarios for the airport are on the table. One of these aims at further growth through optimal use of the space that the permit now offers. That means nuisance for 13,371 local residents and also a lot of noise nuisance in large parts of the rest of South Limburg. Two other variants have slightly less drastic environmental effects: one only allows growth if the noise does not increase and the other focuses on a ‘sustainable airport’ where more and more electric flights will be used from 2030.
Until recently, the fourth variant was taboo: closure. A recent cost-benefit analysis showed that this was the most favorable plan. Keeping the airport open can cost 110 million euros, closing it can yield around 484 million euros. People outside Limburg will mainly benefit from continuing with the airport. The costs and inconvenience are for the province. That does not seem so complicated for Limburgers.
However, protests are heard from companies in and around the airport. Bouke Veldman, chairman of the Maastricht Maintenance Boulevard Foundation, calls the closure “completely illogical” and warns against a “costly, long-lasting and uncontrollable process”. He also screens with promises from the Government to keep the airport open after 2024. A letter to Parliament and the companies stated: “There is no end date for the involvement of the Province of Limburg in Maastricht Aachen Airport.”
The provincial council did not notice this promise and, based on the decision from 2014, thought they would be stuck at the airport for at most ten years. Then closure can become an expensive joke; companies that have to relocate can use GS’s guarantee to charge high fees.
Landscape and tranquility
The airport is allowed to close due to the tourism sector. “The landscape and tranquility are the main attractions of our region,” explains Anya Niewierra, director of Visit Zuid-Limburg, formerly the VVV. “If a plane comes over five or six times a day, that’s acceptable for most people. If that happens a few times an hour, there is a chance that they will not come back. At scenario 1 [de vergunde ruimte benutten, met veel geluidhinder] Are you talking about a 4.8 to 9 percent loss in tourist turnover? This involves substantial amounts and job losses. Tourism in South Limburg is good for 2.2 billion euros per year and 22,000 direct jobs. During the 5.3 nights that people stay here on average, they spend money in the region.”
Niewierra contrasts this with employment opportunities in and around the airport. According to him, the airport provides 356 people with permanent jobs, and there are 724 people with flex contracts.
Camille Oostwegel, director of Oostwegel Collection, exclusive catering industry in monumental buildings, is stirring on social media: “There is danger in the air for both the residents and visitors of Limburg! I also thought that keeping Maastricht Aachen Airport open would (will) have a positive effect on Limburg, but nothing could be further from the truth.”
Oostwegel, who took over the company from his father of the same name two years ago, sees “great potential for improving the quality of the living environment and a better economic output for the province. Why would you be against that? Together we have a responsibility to pass on Limburg better to the next generations.”
Opponents of MAA raised money through a crowdfunding campaign and were able to hire Francine Houben, top architect of the Mecanoo agency, for an alternative plan for the airport. She envisions an Airpark at that location, including space for start-up companies, a campus and a swimming pool. “Solar collectors can be installed on the runway. The 188 hectares of orchards cleared during the construction of the airport can partly be returned: new-style orchards, where you can sleep and pick fruit. Surrounding centers can realize their housing assignments in the vacant area.”
Houben, who was born and raised in South Limburg, calls the Heuvelland of national importance, comparable to areas such as the Wadden, the dunes and the Veluwe. According to her, this includes integral thinking instead of a one-sided fixation on aviation. It is, the architect emphasizes, no uncertain adventure. “In California, an airport got a new destination. In Germany you have Tempelhof in Berlin and Riemer Park as appealing examples. The Netherlands has done it with the air bases of Twente and Soesterberg.”
Own airport
It is now up to the province to give direction. But how many politicians dare to go down in history by putting an end to the airport? Limburg administrators like to emulate the tech state of Bavaria – ‘Laptops und Lederhosen’ – and that includes their own airport – although there are seven other airports an hour away from MAA.
At the moment, only a few progressive parties want to get rid of MAA without reservation. “There is only one scenario for us: closing,” says Member of Parliament Kathleen Mertens (GroenLinks). She expects little good from the negotiations with the Schiphol Group. “The nuisance from elsewhere is being moved here. Limburg is then the drain. And the scenario that – after closure – turns out to be the most financially advantageous is immediately the most polluting.”
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Such a future, with full use of the existing permit, will not get much done by others either. A poll in a committee meeting of the States must also have given Commissioner Satijn the impression that the two remaining scenarios can count on the most political support.
They seem to be a good salable compromise: jobs on and around the airport will be preserved, the nuisance limited a bit and aviation made more sustainable. But does it lay a foundation for healthy exploitation? And how much provincial money still needs to be added, now and in the future?
The Provincial Council of Limburg can still think about this file for another month and a half. They must make a final decision on 3 June.