Following the announcement by Air Cargo Netherlands (ACN) on 23JAN25, that Maastricht Airport (MST) and Amsterdam Schiphol plan to deepen their ties, CargoForwarder Global (CFG) spoke with Dean Boljuncic (DB), about the challenges and opportunities resulting from the intent for Maastricht, Netherland’s second largest Airport. Dean is Head of Commercial Development at MST.
CFG: Dean, one of the challenges Maastricht Aachen always had to tackle is the fact that only 2,500 m of its 2,750 m runway can be used. Is that still the case?
DB: Unfortunately, it is still the case, and this still has an impact on our operation. Boeing 777 freighter aircraft cannot take off with full payloads and fuel. So, we always have to weigh both aspects. Due to the different flight distances, Triple Seven freighters bound for Dubai, for example, can be fully loaded, but those flying from Maastricht to Hong Kong cannot.
CFG: Is this linked to complaints by the residents?
DB: No, it has nothing to do with the residents. Currently, the existing operational license restricts the use of the runway. That’s why it must be renewed, enabling more flexibility. However, there is a lot of red tape that ties up capacity and costs time. On the physical side, everything is ready.
CFG: So, the protest by the residents has calmed down?
DB: Where there is air traffic, there are always protests of some kind. But the full use of our runway, once officially approved, will have no impact whatsoever.
LGG in the backyard
CFG: How do you cope with Liège Airport being in your back garden?
DB: Our story is different. We are 50% owned by the Schiphol Group, with a maximum capacity of 200,000 to 300,000 tons. We want to put ourselves in the market as ‘boutique’. Our unique selling point will be speed, as we are three companies in one: airport operator, aircraft handler and cargo handler. These functions are all in our contract and we, as airport operator, are the only contact point.
CFG: Are there any concrete plans for specific traffic to be diverted from Amsterdam to Maastricht?
DB: We do not have that information. This is something that must be decided together with Schiphol Group. Within the Group, we are the only provider of available and still usable capacity.
CFG: Contrary to Amsterdam, you do not have any belly capacity to offer.
DB: No, everything is full freighter. This is also our hallmark.
CFG: What is the ratio between imports and exports?
DB: There will always be some imbalance between import and export, which is typical for most airports in Europe.
CFG: Dean, thank you for this information.
MST and Royal Jordanian Airlines celebrate 35 years
Other USPs for the airport, which were mentioned in a press release, this week: its above-average cargo handling on-time performance of over 98% (a full three percentage points above the current industry benchmark for good performance) and the recent investments in its cargo facilities. Factors that ensure long-term relationships such as the 35 year cargo cooperation celebrated by the airport and the flight crew of Royal Jordanian Airlines’ flight RJ1033 on 20FEB25: one of three or four full freighter flights operated weekly to MST by the Jordanian airline.
Ibrahim Theodory, Station Manager, Royal Jordanian Maastricht, confirmed: “The choice for Maastricht Aachen Airport was, and still is, crystal clear. The speed, service, and trust at the airport are of an exceptionally high level. Add to that the airport’s accessibility and the friendly staff, and you simply don’t want anything else.”
Dean Boljuncic, Head of Commercial Development Maastricht Aachen Airport, said. “We are incredibly proud of this long-term partnership with Royal Jordanian. Every day, our team is very dedicated to give Royal Jordanian and all of our other clients custom-made cargo handling services.”
