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°57′25″N 04°26′25″E / 51.95694°N 4.44028°E / 51.95694; 4.44028Coordinates: 51°57′25″N 04°26′25″E / 51.95694°N 4.44028°E / 51.95694; 4.44028
Website rotterdamthehagueairport.nl
Map
RTM
Location of airport in Netherlands
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
06/24 2,200 7,218 Asphalt
Statistics (2017)
Passengers 1,774,976 Increase
Freight (tonnes) 15 Decrease
Aircraft movements 49,962 Decrease
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 was later completely destroyed 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.[3]

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, Air France, Channel Airways, and British Air Ferries (Channel Air Bridge) were soon operating to Rotterdam. However, in the 1970s plans were made to either close or move the airport to make space for housing. Its uncertain future halted the airport's growth and led to many operators leaving.[3]

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.[4] In October 2014 British Airways announced they would suspend the route again in March 2015.[5] British Airways now flies to Rotterdam from London City Airport.[6]

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.[7] 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:[8]

AirlinesDestinations
British Airways London–City
Corendon Airlines Seasonal: Antalya, Heraklion
Flybe Seasonal charter: Guernsey, Jersey
FlyErbil Erbil
Freebird Airlines Seasonal charter: Antalya
Pegasus Airlines Seasonal charter: Antalya, Kayseri, Konya
Transavia Al Hoceima, Alicante, Barcelona, Bergerac, Budapest (ends 29 October 2018), Faro, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote (begins 3 November 2018),[9] Lisbon, Málaga, Nador (begins 6 November 2018),[9] Rome–Fiumicino, Tenerife South, Valencia, Venice (ends 11 January 2019), Vienna
Seasonal: Almería, Brindisi (begins 3 April 2019),[10] Chambéry, Corfu (begins 2 April 2019),[10] Dubrovnik, Geneva, Girona, Grenoble, Heraklion, Ibiza, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Kos (begins 1 April 2019),[10] Lamezia Terme, Montpellier, Nice (begins 4 July 2019),[10] Palermo, Palma de Mallorca, Pisa, Pula, Salzburg, Split, Tangier (begins 2 April 2019),[10] Toulon, Zadar (begins 3 April 2019)[10]
TUI fly Belgium Seasonal: Brač, Tangier
TUI fly Netherlands Seasonal: Antalya, Fuerteventura, Heraklion, Lanzarote, Palma de Mallorca, Rhodes, Tenerife South, Zakynthos (begins 29 April 2019)

Statistics

A Sabena de Havilland Heron at the airport in 1968
Check-in area
Year Passengers Aircraft movements
2000696,612 Increase113,324 Decrease
2001747,827 Increase92,874 Decrease
2002612,021 Decrease86,972 Decrease
2003616,823 Increase66,919 Decrease
20041,096,514 Increase63,968 Decrease
20051,010,950 Decrease65,156 Increase
20061,037,971 Increase64,225 Decrease
20071,060,044 Increase65,527 Increase
2008986,789 Decrease59,644 Decrease
2009921,840 Decrease55,900 Decrease
2010922,569 Increase52,637 Decrease
20111,075,202 Increase53,899 Increase
20121,186,539 Increase48,129 Decrease
20131,488,572 Increase50,667 Increase
20141,687,574 Increase49,525 Decrease
20151,692,406 Increase50,834 Increase
20161,683,863 Decrease52,442 Increase
2017 1,774,976[11] Increase 49,962 Decrease
Busiest Routes from Rotterdam Airport (2016)
RankAirportPassengers 2016
1 UK, London City Airport219.222
2 Spain, Barcelona–El Prat Airport154.152
3 Spain, Malaga Airport126.034
4 Portugal, Faro Airport121.494
5 Spain, Alicante Airport110.239
Source: http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/submitViewTableAction.do

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.[12]

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 11 October 2018
  2. ↑ Statistics 2017 - Rotterdam The Hague Airport (PDF, Dutch)
  3. 1 2 "History - Rotterdam The Hague Airport". Rotterdam The Hague Airport. Retrieved 2018-06-22.
  4. ↑ "BA gears up for new short-haul Heathrow services". Business Traveller. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  5. ↑ "British Airways suspends London Heathrow – Rotterdam flights from 28 March 2015". London Air Travel. 29 October 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  6. ↑ "Visit Holland | Flights | British Airways". www.britishairways.com. Retrieved 2018-06-22.
  7. ↑ Ranter, Harro. "Rotterdam Airport profile - Aviation Safety Network". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2018-06-22.
  8. ↑ rotterdamthehagueairport.nl - Find & book retrieved 29 April 2017
  9. 1 2 "Transavia schedules new routes from Rotterdam in W18". routesonline.com. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Transavia schedules new routes in S19". routesonline.com. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  11. ↑ "Rotterdam The Hague Airport fact & figures 2017" (PDF). Rotterdam The Hague Airport.
  12. ↑ http://www.ret.nl/reizen-met-ret/dienstregeling/overzicht/metro/lijn-e.html

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