Minister Mark Harbers of Infrastructure (VVD) maintains the position that the government will not contribute financially to the operation or maintenance of regional airports, including Maastricht Aachen Airport (MAA).
Because of European regulations, there are practically no options for this, the minister wrote in a letter to the House of Representatives about regional airports. The Limburg Parliament will make a decision on the future of MAA on Friday.
According to the minister, it is up to the airports themselves and their shareholders to determine that future. In his letter, Harbers MAA mentions a regional airport that also supports Schiphol and a fall-back option in the field of cargo.
Conversations
Partly in implementation of a motion by the Heerlen PVV MP Dion Graus adopted by the House of Representatives, the ministry has recently participated in talks between the province, MAA and the Schiphol Group, the minister reported.
Collaboration
Schiphol has also indicated that it wants to explore more intensive cooperation if the Limburg Parliament decides to keep MAA open on Friday. Well without bringing a big bag of money.
The minister also informed the House of Representatives that he had discussed separately with the province – which is the owner and operator of MAA – the possibilities of support for the intended sustainability. For example, by exchanging knowledge and expertise and enabling innovations. Improving the quality of the living environment of MAA was also discussed.
Support
“I am now waiting for the decision-making in the region. Depending on this, it will be considered what support to MAA can look like in concrete terms and how the route to an airport decision will be shaped,” said the minister in his letter.
With regard to the nature permit that MAA has applied for, the minister informed the House of Representatives that it is still unclear when these applications will be assessed.
Aviation
The House of Representatives Committee on Infrastructure for Aviation will meet on Wednesday. This mainly concerns Schiphol. But PVV MP Graus will on that occasion argue for financial support from the government to MAA because it is the only airport for air cargo in the Netherlands after Schiphol.
Next Wednesday there will be a committee meeting of the House of Representatives on regional airports.