Maastricht on way to deepening ties with Schiphol

This intention was announced by Joost Meijs, CEO of Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST) at a recent meeting with members of the local cargo community from Limburg Province in the Netherlands. Without mentioning it directly, this step could be a door opener for cargo airlines affected by future slot cuts at Schiphol. After all, the new rightwing government’s aim is to reduce noise emissions at and around Amsterdam Airport by 20%, forcing out older freighters. Affected airlines could switch to MST.

Managing Director Maarten van As of Air Cargo Netherlands delivered a keynote address at the organization’s Maastricht meeting – picture: courtesy Dwayne van Honk

In 2024, a total of 110,000 tons of cargo were handled at Maastricht Airport. Until the turn of this year, management expects an increase of 20%, resulting from the looming growth of freight flown, with trucking volumes remaining constant.

Just days ago, Atlas Air launched weekly flights between China and Maastricht on behalf of MSC, operating a Boeing 777 freighter, enthuses Dean Boljuncic, Head of Commercial Development. “The shipments consist primarily of e-commerce products, with other goods supplementing the loads.”

The second newcomer that began serving MST in DEC24, is Airtrans. The carrier is based in Larnaca, Cyprus and operates A321P2F equipment. It serves Maastricht thrice weekly and offers the market a loading capacity of 27 tons per flight.

Investing 70 million euros
Because of the traffic growth, Maastricht is updating its ground infrastructure by adding three parking positions for widebody freighter aircraft to the existing five. Work is intended to be completed by 2027, but this timing is not carved in stone yet. Further to this, an additional warehouse of 10,000 m² stands on the airport’s to-do list, including modernization of the current cargo facilities. “In 2023, we started renovating the runway and invested 70 million euros in updating and modernizing our cargo facilities,” states manager Boljuncic. This is complemented by initiatives kicked off by members of the local Air Cargo Netherlands lobby group, who developed various high-quality logistics centers near MST Airport. One example is a state-of-the-art freight terminal of 13,000 m², complemented by an office complex totaling 1,200 sqm, built in the vicinity of the airport and operated by MST subsidiary Maastricht Logistics Services BV. The facilities, erected outside the airport fence, were inaugurated in fall of 2024 and allow for one-stop shopping solutions.  

Maastricht Airport closes its gates from 23h to 06h to protect local residents against noise  –  picture: credit MST

Closer cooperation with AMS
“It is our responsibility as an airport to provide a competitive performance by investing in excellent cargo handling and cargo facilities. In addition, we see possibilities in an improved and strong collaboration with Schiphol for the air cargo industry. Especially since our airport is part of the Royal Schiphol Group. That will be our focus for the coming years,” exclaimed Airport Chief, Joost Meijs, at the gathering of the local Air Cargo Community. 

Favorable cargo environment
The meeting demonstrated once again the ACN members’ commitment to the freight business in MST. Arjan Hage, Managing Partner of Maastricht Logistics Services and Chair of ACN Maastricht stated: “Limburg’s central position in the Euroregion, the international mindset of businesses here, and the strong cargo community in the area create the perfect environment for a thriving logistics sector. The collaboration of the local cargo community within ACN Maastricht creates strong appeal for airlines and other (logistics) businesses,” emphasized the ACN official.

We’ve been working in this structure for over a year now, and we are beginning to see the benefits through efficient and strategic partnerships,” he added.

In mid-2023, Amsterdam Airport acquired a 40% stake in MST, with Limburg Province remaining majority owner. Since then, both sides kept emphasizing the importance of cargo and efforts to coordinate their commercial and strategic policies.

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