| Lelystad Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: LEY – ICAO: EHLE | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Owner | Schiphol Group | ||
| Operator | Lelystad Aerodrome | ||
| Location | Lelystad | ||
| Elevation AMSL | -12 ft / -4 m | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 05/23 | 1,250 | 4,101 | Asphalt |
| 05/23 | 430 | 1,411 | Grass |
| Sources: AIP[1] | |||
Lelystad Airport (IATA: LEY, ICAO: EHLE) is an airport 3.5 NM (6.5 km; 4.0 mi) south southeast of Lelystad, Netherlands.
It is the biggest general aviation airport in the Netherlands and is also home to a large aviation museum, the Aviodrome. The museum's former KLM Boeing 747-200 which they have on display is a prominent feature on the airport.
In 1966 it was decided that the newly created Flevopolder required one central airport. A suitable location with room for future expansion was found to the east of Lelystad. The first flights from this location took place in 1971, but it wasn't until 1973 that it received the official status as an airport. At first Lelystad had grass taxi- and runways, but it was found that the clay couldn't support all the traffic and tracks started to form. Because of the often poor condition of the terrain the airport suffered from frequent closure. To resolve this problem, in 1978 the first of the taxiways was hardened and in 1981 the runway was hardened. In 1991 the runway length was increased to 1,250 m (4,101 ft), hoping to attract more business aircraft with the longer runway. In 1993 the Schiphol Group became the owner of the airport. The Aviodrome museum moved to Lelystad Airport from Schiphol in 2003.
Because of the presence of the museum, various aviation events are frequently held at the airport.
An expansion of the airport is planned in 2010 which would allow mainly budget airlines, holiday charters and regional airlines using aircraft such as the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320 series to operate from Lelystad. The expansion would include a longer runway, 2,100 m (6,890 ft) long, and facilities to handle the bigger aircraft and approximately 2 million passengers.
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