In a country where everything functions relatively well, Dutch airports are the odd ones out. On this week’s episode of airport chaos: The Maastricht Aachen Airport will be closed for renovation from May 8 through June 30.
Why? Because wear and tear in the runway’s asphalt can release small particles that may damage aircrafts. This needs to be fixed. 🛠️
A big job
The airport’s runway is 2,750 metres long and 45 metres wide, and more than 71,000 tons of new asphalt will be applied to it. 😳
But that’s not all: Dura Vermeer, the contractor company that is responsible for the renovation, will also be replacing around 1,000 light fixtures, fixing 15 kilometres of lines and 100 kilometres of cabling.
As NU.nl reports, the airport may see up to 250 construction workers on the busiest days of the renovation.
Work will be carried out between 7 AM and 11 PM, from Monday through Sunday. 🫠
… and an expensive job
The province of Limburg, a shareholder of the Maastricht Aachen airport, has put aside €35 million for the project.
According to the airport, Dura Vermeer’s contract price is around €22 million. Add to that the additional costs of plan preparation, project management and supervision, and there you have it — doei geld (bye money)! 👋
READ MORE | It’s official: Schiphol airport failed miserably in 2022
Sounds inconvenient? It is, but there’s a silver lining. Since there will be no air traffic for eight weeks, at least the nitrogen emissions from all this work are fully offset.
What do you think about Maastricht Aachen Airport’s big plans? Tell us in the comments.
What do you mean its not schiphol this time? Schiphol has never been closed in the past decade for renovations. They have multiple runways.