Rotterdam The Hague Airport

Rotterdam The Hague Airport
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner/Operator Schiphol Group
Serves Rotterdam and The Hague
Focus city for Transavia
Elevation AMSL -14 ft / -4 m
Coordinates 51°56′56″N 4°26′02″E / 51.949020°N 4.434022°E / 51.949020; 4.434022Coordinates: 51°56′56″N 4°26′02″E / 51.949020°N 4.434022°E / 51.949020; 4.434022
Website rotterdamthehagueairport.nl
Map
RTM

Location of airport in Netherlands

Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
06/24 2,200 7,218 Asphalt
Statistics (2016)
Passengers 1,683,863 Decrease
Freight (tonnes) 77 Decrease
Aircraft movements 52,442 Increase
Sources: AIP,[1] 2016 Annual Facts & Statistics Report (PDF, Dutch)[2]

Rotterdam The Hague Airport (formerly Rotterdam Airport, Vliegveld Zestienhoven in Dutch), (IATA: RTM, ICAO: EHRD) located 3 NM (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) north northwest[1] of Rotterdam, is the Netherlands' third largest airport. It serves the city of Rotterdam as well as The Hague and surroundings. The airport handled over 1.6 million passengers in 2016 and features scheduled flights to European metropolitan and leisure destinations. It is also used extensively by general aviation and there are several flying clubs and schools located at the airport.

History

Early years

After World War II, the Dutch government decided that a second national airport was needed in addition to Schiphol. Rotterdam had had an airport before the war - Waalhaven airport - but it was heavily damaged in the bombing of Rotterdam, and later destroyed completely to prevent it from being used by the Germans. Reconstruction of the airport was not a realistic proposition, so a new location was found in the Zestienhoven polder, giving the airport its name.

Construction of the airport began in August 1955 and the airport was officially opened in October 1956. Several large international airlines, such as Swissair, Lufthansa and Air France, were soon operating from Rotterdam. However, in the 1970s plans were made to either close or move the airport to make room for houses and the uncertain future caused a stagnation in the airport's growth and many operators left.

Development since the 1990s

For almost thirty years the airport faced closure, but the economic growth of the 1990s caused an increase in passengers again and in 2001 it was decided that the airport's current location would be maintained for at least a century.

The route with the longest continual service, to London Heathrow and operated by KLM Cityhopper, was suspended in 2008. This marked the end of KLM's involvement with the airport. However, in December 2012, British Airways began a service to Rotterdam from Heathrow.[3] In October 2014 British Airways announced they would suspend the route again in March 2015.[4]

The name of the airport was changed from Zestienhoven to Rotterdam Airport and finally in 2010 to its current name Rotterdam The Hague Airport.

Most flights today are operated by regional turboprop aircraft such as the Fokker 50, Dash 8 and ATR aircraft and smaller mainline jets such as the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 series or the Embraer 190, although TACV operates some flights with their Boeing 757 to the Cape Verde Islands, making this the largest aircraft that serves Rotterdam. There is also a fair amount of business aviation. State and military aircraft also use the airport frequently, this due to The Hague being the seat of the Dutch government and also housing various other international institutions such as the International Criminal Court. With the closure of nearby Ypenburg Airport in 1992 and Valkenburg Naval Air Base in 2006 Rotterdam The Hague airport is now the only remaining airport in the area for those types of flights.

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights to and from Rotterdam:[5]

AirlinesDestinations
British Airways
operated by BA CityFlyer 		London–City
CityJet
operated by Danish Air Transport 		Seasonal charter: Jersey, Guernsey
Corendon Airlines Seasonal charter: Antalya
Freebird Airlines
operated for TUI fly Netherlands 		Seasonal charter: Antalya
Pegasus Airlines Seasonal charter: Kayseri, Konya
Transavia Alicante, Barcelona, Budapest, Faro, Gran Canaria, Lisbon (begins 18 February 2018), Málaga, Rome–Fiumicino, Tenerife–South, Venice, Vienna
Seasonal: Bergerac, Berlin-Schönefeld, Chambéry, Geneva, Girona, Grenoble, Ibiza, Innsbruck, Lanzarote, Palma de Mallorca, Pisa, Pula, Salzburg, Split, Toulon, Valencia
TUI fly Belgium
operated by Air Explore 		Seasonal charter: Tangier, Oudja
TUI fly Netherlands Seasonal charter: Kos, Palma de Mallorca
Vueling Barcelona

Statistics

A Sabena de Havilland Heron at the airport in 1968
Check-in area
Year Passengers Aircraft movements
2000 696,612 Increase 113,324 Decrease
2001 747,827 Increase 92,874 Decrease
2002 612,021 Decrease 86,972 Decrease
2003 616,823 Increase 66,919 Decrease
2004 1,096,514 Increase 63,968 Decrease
2005 1,010,950 Decrease 65,156 Increase
2006 1,037,971 Increase 64,225 Decrease
2007 1,060,044 Increase 65,527 Increase
2008 986,789 Decrease 59,644 Decrease
2009 921,840 Decrease 55,900 Decrease
2010 922,569 Increase 52,637 Decrease
2011 1,075,202 Increase 53,899 Increase
2012 1,186,539 Increase 48,129 Decrease
2013 1,488,572 Increase 50,667 Increase
2014 1,687,574 Increase 49,525 Decrease
2015 1,692,406 Increase 50,834 Increase
2016 1,683,863 Decrease 52,442 Increase

Ground transportation

Meijersplein RandstadRail station

Bus

The airport is served by bus line 33, which runs between Rotterdam Centraal, the airport, and further to Meijersplein station. At Meijersplein, you can transfer to metro line E, with frequent service to Den Haag Centraal, Rotterdam Centraal and Rotterdam city center.[6]

Car

The airport is situated next to the busy A13/E19 motorway, which makes it easily accessible via car.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 EHRD – ROTTERDAM/Rotterdam. AIP from AIS the Netherlands, effective 17 August 2017
  2. ↑ Statistics 2016 - Rotterdam The Hague Airport (PDF, Dutch)
  3. ↑ "BA gears up for new short-haul Heathrow services". Business Traveller. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  4. ↑ "British Airways suspends London Heathrow – Rotterdam flights from 28 March 2015". London Air Travel. 29 October 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  5. ↑ rotterdamthehagueairport.nl - Find & book retrieved 29 April 2017
  6. ↑ http://www.ret.nl/reizen-met-ret/dienstregeling/overzicht/metro/lijn-e.html

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