The consequences for Groningen Airport Eelde (GAE) are major if a new cabinet decides to open Lelystad Airport. According to researchers, this will partly reduce the number of passengers in Eelde by 40 percent.
The municipality of Tynaarlo has commissioned the Amsterdam SEO to conduct research into the future strategy of the Drenthe airport. The agency notes that it sees Lelystad Airport as a potential competitor for Eelde. The airport in Flevoland was initially scheduled to open in 2018, but the opening has already been postponed several times.
Ultimately, the government makes a decision about the future of Lelystad Airport. This is expected to happen next year, but only once there is a new cabinet. Because the PVV and New Social Contract (NSC) do not mention the airport in their programs, it is not yet clear whether the majority of the new House of Representatives is for or against the opening of the airport.
If Lelystad Airport does get the green light, the researchers say this will be bad news for Eelde. “A possible opening of Lelystad Airport to commercial traffic and an increase in ticket prices due to sustainability policy could result in a drop in demand on GAE of forty percent compared to what is assumed in the economic and financial substantiation,” the researchers conclude.
Eelde wants to grow from 115,000 passengers this year to 350,000 in 2033. According to SEO, this is realistic, but uncertainties and risks about national and European aviation policy have not or only to a very limited extent been included in the economic and financial substantiation. By this, the agency refers, among other things, to the possible opening of Lelystad Airport.