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48-918: Although Eurocontrol is not an agency of the European Union , the EU has delegated parts of its Single European Sky regulations to Eurocontrol, making it the central organisation for coordination and planning of air traffic control for all of Europe. The EU itself is a signatory of Eurocontrol and all EU member states are presently also members of Eurocontrol. The organisation works with national authorities, air navigation service providers , civil and military airspace users, airports , and other organisations. Its activities involve all gate-to-gate air navigation service operations: strategic and tactical flow management, controller training, regional control of airspace, safety-proofed technologies and procedures, and collection of air navigation charges. The Eurocontrol Convention

96-540: A country must meet all of the following criteria: In addition to membership, EUROCONTROL also concludes the so-called Comprehensive Agreements, which enhances the organisation's cooperation with non-European countries that are closely tied to the continent's aviation network. Agency of the European Union The agencies of the European Union (formally: Agencies, decentralised independent bodies, corporate bodies and joint undertakings of

144-415: A hangar on the east side of the airport and supports a wide range of aircraft maintenance activities. Building work on a second adjacent hangar was completed in 2018. The Aviation Competence Centre (ACC) is a training organization for aircraft mechanics and is located at the airport. Construction of a hotel adjacent to the passenger terminal building started in 2019. The GR8 hotel opened 2021. The airport

192-614: A hangar situated on the East side of the airport. Maas Aviation has operated an aircraft painting facility at the airport since the late 1980s. In 2017 it doubled its capacity when it opened a second adjacent paint shop hangar. The Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC) of the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL) is located next to the airport. Samco Aircraft Maintenance B.V. operates from

240-672: A major Dutch flight school, the Nationale Luchtvaartschool , nowadays better known as CAE Oxford Aviation Academy . The flight school, which was originally based at this airport, moved all flight operations to Évora Airport in Portugal. In the summer of 2007, flight training at the airport resumed as the Stella Aviation Academy moved into the facilities previously used by the NLS. In 2009, there were

288-494: A new Ryanair base from December 2012, the first on Dutch soil, with one Boeing 737-800 being based at the airport and three new routes being launched: Dublin , London-Stansted and Treviso . In late October 2012, start-up Dutch airline, Maastricht Airlines , announced plans to base six Fokker 50 aircraft at the airport, initially operating to Berlin , Munich , and Amsterdam , before adding Copenhagen , Paris Charles de Gaulle and Southend in 2014. This did not happen and

336-476: A new, wider mandate was already being considered for Eurocontrol, with much of the initiative coming from ECAC ’s Ministers of Transport. Subsequently, ECAC urged all of its member states to join Eurocontrol. A revised Eurocontrol Convention was signed in 1997, renewing the organisation's optimism for greater political support, surpassing the original vision of the 1960 Convention. In June 1998, Eurocontrol,

384-399: A tank battle were commandeered and cleared. Rubble from the nearby town of Geleen , which had been unintentionally bombed in 1942, was used to level the area. The runway was 5,565 feet (1,696 m) and reinforced with pierced steel planks . The field was built in less than 2 months and was operational on 22 March 1945, and was designated Y-44. The first unit to be based at the field

432-473: A total of 40,621 aircraft movements, up 13.9% from 2008. In 2008, there were a total of 35,668 aircraft movements, up 83.4% from 2007. In 2007, there were a total of 19,454 aircraft movements, up 35% from 2006. The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights to and from Maastricht/Aachen: Source: Statistics Netherlands Jet Center - Maastricht Aachen Airport (MAA) provides handling for general aviation aircraft. Jet Center operates from

480-444: Is approximately 21 minutes and typically 80% of the traffic is climbing from or descending to the major European airports of London , Brussels , Paris , Frankfurt , Amsterdam and Berlin . Maastricht UAC has undoubtedly one of the most complex airspace structures in the world and the traffic flow (up to 5,670 aircraft a day) can be disrupted by the many surrounding military airspaces. To be considered for membership of Eurocontrol,

528-479: Is located along motorway A2 , exit 50. Taxis are available at the airport. There is bus service (line 30), operated by Arriva , running between Sittard and Maastricht . This line also covers transport between the Maastricht railway station and the airport. KLM operates a bus connection service to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol . Tickets to use this service are an add-on to a KLM flight ticket. The airport

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576-547: Is the second-largest hub for cargo flights in the Netherlands. As of 2022, the airport had a passenger throughput of 266,000 and handled 108,000 tons of cargo. The Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC) of the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL) is also located at the airport. Plans for an airport in southern Limburg date back as far as 1919, with various locations being considered. Years of debate among various municipalities over

624-422: The 1973 oil crisis , passenger volume remained the same and cargo operations expanded. The international air traffic control area control centre for EUROCONTROL was built at the airport. It started operations on March 1, 1972. Around 1980, the airport changed its name to "Maastricht Airport". In 1983, the aging passenger terminal and air traffic control tower were replaced by new buildings The new terminal

672-621: The European Commission , attempting to create a synergy of Eurocontrol's technical expertise and EU's regulatory authorities. Several initiatives originating in this period become a lasting element of the organisation, such as the Eurocontrol forecasting service, which became STATFOR, as well as the Aeronautical Information Service. By 1986, the pressure on the European ATC network was so big that

720-739: The European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission (EC) also signed an agreement formalising cooperation in the realm of satellite navigation systems and services. In 1999 the European Commission presented its plan for a Single European Sky (SES) to the European Parliament, followed by two high-Level groups (HLG). The HLG reports on SES led to the establishment of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and reinforced

768-529: The European System of Financial Supervision ) London (2011–2019) ( [REDACTED]   UK till 2019) Single Resolution Mechanism bodies (of the European banking union ) Common Security and Defence Policy agencies (under the former II Pillar) Executive agencies are created by European Commission for a fixed period. A joint undertaking is a juridical person and a subsidiary body of

816-541: The Netherlands and Luxembourg ) agreed in 1964 to set up a single international air traffic control centre to manage their upper airspace, settling in the Dutch city of Maastricht . The European Parliament at the time expressed concern about the lack of clear intergovernmental agreements to ensure common air traffic control services across the continent. In 1979, Eurocontrol signed a working cooperation agreement with

864-593: The Netherlands , and north-west Germany . In 2017 it became the first multinational, cross-border, civil-military, air navigation service provider since it integrated the military air traffic control of the German and Dutch upper airspace. It is the third busiest upper area area control centre (ACC) in Europe after the London Area Control Centre and Karlsruhe ACC in terms of traffic numbers, but

912-540: The Belgian town of Tongeren became shareholder of the airport. Two years later, the board of trade or chamber of commerce of the nearby German city of Aachen became shareholder. This interest eventually became prominent and in October 1994 the airport's name was changed to "Maastricht-Aachen Airport". In July 2004, a 100% share in the airport was acquired by OmDV, a consortium of airport investment company Omniport and

960-448: The Dutch tourist board for the nearby town of Valkenburg aan de Geul , aimed at British tourists, was highly successful and brought services by Invicta Airlines , Britannia and Channel Airways . Domestic travel picked up as well, and newly created NLM CityHopper started to operate a service between Maastricht and Amsterdam Schiphol in 1966. The service would continue after KLM acquired NLM in 1992, and would last until 2008. When it

1008-528: The EU or Euratom, established through an agreement between the European Commission , the participating member states, and the European industry of a certain field, with the purpose of implementing a public-private partnership project. The list includes the two decentralised bodies other than agencies, established as EU juridical persons through secondary legislation of the EU/Euratom. The list includes

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1056-523: The EU, and in some cases, also across the EEA countries, Switzerland, Serbia, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and Turkey. Nevertheless, in relations with other non-EU third countries, they are in general not recognised as independent entities, thus being considered either parts of the juridical personality of the EU or Euratom. Some of the agencies, decentralised independent bodies and joint undertakings of

1104-477: The European Commission's role as the sole European aviation safety regulator, while acknowledging Eurocontrol's technical expertise in the implementation of said regulations. The early 2000s were marred by several fatal accidents in Europe, such as the 2001 2001 Linate Airport runway collision and the 2002 Überlingen mid-air collision , both of which were related to air traffic navigation shortcomings. The pressure

1152-412: The European Union and Euratom ) are bodies of the European Union and Euratom established as juridical persons through secondary EU legislation and tasked with a specific narrow field of work. They are distinct from: In contrast to other EU bodies established through secondary legislation, each of more than fifty such entities has its own juridical personality granted by the EU law, recognised across

1200-530: The European Union and Euratom are tasked with answering the need to develop scientific or technical know-how in certain fields, others bring together different interest groups to facilitate dialogue at European and international level. They are divided into the following groups: Distinct from the EU institutions, the agencies of the European Union are specialist bodies set up to advise the Institutions and Member States in areas that affect everyone living in

1248-663: The Single European Sky Regulations (Package 1). In March 2006, the European Commission's Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) Program was launched by the Stakeholder Consultation Group (SCG) under Eurocontrol's aegis. Eurocontrol provides a set of different services: Eurocontrol's Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC), ICAO designator EDYY, located at Maastricht Aachen Airport , provides air traffic control for traffic above 24,500 ft over Belgium , Luxembourg ,

1296-571: The Union. They are located in member states across the EU, providing services, information, and know-how. The total budget of all the decentralised agencies is approximately 0.8% of the EU's annual budget. Single market agencies (under the former I Pillar) London (1995–2019) ( [REDACTED]   UK until 2019) Area of freedom, security and justice agencies (under the former III Pillar) Bramshill (2005–2014) ( [REDACTED]   UK till 2014) European supervisory authorities (of

1344-590: The advancing front . The area around Maastricht was liberated in 1944. In October 1944, the advance headquarters of the XIX Tactical Air Command and the 84th and 303rd Fighter Wings were moved to Maastricht to keep up with the Ninth Army. Because of the proximity to the new headquarters, the decision was made to create a temporary airfield between the towns of Beek , Geulle and Ulestraten . Several orchards which had suffered damage from

1392-466: The airport, while Turkish Airlines Cargo , Silk Way Airlines and Sky Gates Airlines further expanded their operations in Maastricht . Meanwhile, both Corendon Dutch Airlines and Ryanair announced that they would expand their number destinations. Corendon Dutch Airlines even based a second aircraft during the summer season. The number of aircraft movements decreased significantly between 2005 and 2007 compared to previous years due to relocation of

1440-531: The closure of the Ryanair base from March 2014, entailing the ending of the Bergamo , Brive , Dublin , London-Stansted and Málaga flights. In 2017, Corendon Dutch Airlines announced that they would open a base on the airport with one aircraft based in summer 2018. In late 2018 renovations started on the passenger terminal. Also, freight carriers as Emirates SkyCargo and Saudia Cargo found their way to

1488-457: The company declared bankruptcy. Also in 2013, the airport was helped by the province with a 4.5 million euro contribution. The airport was very close to bankruptcy during this period. Later on, in March 2014, the same province of Limburg believed that closure was never an option. They decided that they would like to take over the airport. In December 2013, a spokesperson of the airport confirmed

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1536-511: The construction company Dura Vermeer , making it the first fully privatised airport in the Netherlands. Substantial investments in the airport infrastructure have been made since the privatization. Between August and October 2005, the runway was resurfaced and renamed to 03/21 (from 04/22) to compensate for changes in the Earth's magnetic field . The airport originally had two runways; the second (shorter, 1,080 m (3,540 ft)) runway (07/25)

1584-415: The final decision was delayed. As the new east–west runway would require substantial investment, it would only be profitable if night operations were permitted and increasingly the debate became focused on whether or not night flights should be allowed. Successive cabinets could not reach a final decision, and in 1998, after some 25 years of debate and postponement, the plan was aborted altogether. In 1992,

1632-545: The first in terms of flight hours and distance. MUAC has put in operation innovative technology and productivity enhancements: a new generation Flight Data Processing System, Integrated Flow Management Position, the Short Term Conflict Alert (STCA), Controller Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) and stripless controller working positions. Typically, air traffic control sectors at MUAC can handle 55 or more flights per hour. The average flight duration

1680-601: The location and funding of the airport delayed its construction. In July 1939, the Limburg provincial government agreed to financially back the airport, however, the start of World War II meant the plans were put on hold once more. After the allied invasion of Normandy , the USAAF Ninth Air Force , specifically the IX Engineer Command, was tasked with constructing temporary airfields close to

1728-625: The remaining two bodies other than agencies, decentralised bodies or joint undertakings, established as EU juridical persons through secondary legislation of the EU/Euratom. Maastricht Aachen Airport Maastricht Aachen Airport ( IATA : MST , ICAO : EHBK ) is a major cargo hub and regional passenger airport in Beek in Limburg , the Netherlands , located 5  NM (9.3 km; 5.8 mi) northeast of Maastricht and 15 NM (28 km; 17 mi) northwest of Aachen , Germany . It

1776-409: The towns of Beek , Meerssen and the city of Maastricht . Although some night operations are allowed (including distribution of the European edition of The Wall Street Journal ), runway length limits intercontinental operations. The Dutch government initially approved plans for the runway in 1985, however, the new runway would mean increased noise over other towns and parts of Belgium as well, and

1824-477: The war had left many roads and railroads heavily damaged. The service used six de Havilland Dragon Rapides made available by the British government. In 1946, the service was taken over by KLM , using DC-3 Dakotas . However, as repairs to the Dutch infrastructure progressed, demand for the service dropped and it was stopped in 1949. The first semi-permanent airport terminal was completed in 1947. The runway

1872-560: Was also used as an intermediate stop for services from London and Manchester to Switzerland, Austria, Italy and Yugoslavia. A local airline based at the airport, Limburg Airways , had a contract with the International Herald Tribune for distributing the newspaper's European edition, which was printed in Paris. Limburg Airways was taken over by Martin's Air Charter (now Martinair ) in 1962. A promotion campaign by

1920-400: Was cancelled, it was the last remaining domestic service in the Netherlands. An ILS system , which allows landings in poor weather, was built in 1967, for runway 22 only. In 1973, the airport was expanded again to handle bigger aircraft. The main runway was lengthened to 2500 m (8,200 ft), taxiways were widened, and aprons were enlarged. This mostly offset the negative effects of

1968-539: Was closed and removed to make room for a new cargo terminal and additional aircraft maintenance facilities. Construction of the new facilities started in April 2008. On 7 May 2005, Air Force One carrying US president George W. Bush landed at the airport. Bush visited the Netherlands American Cemetery in nearby Margraten the next day. The instrument landing system (ILS) for runway 21

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2016-519: Was further compounded by the September 11 attacks , increasing the need for a rapid Europe-wide regulatory and coordinating body. By May 2003, Eurocontrol and NATO had signed a memorandum of cooperation, followed by a similar memorandum with the European Commission in December 2003. In February 2004, Eurocontrol started work on first mandates from the European Commission and in April 2004, it adopted

2064-417: Was later expanded and is still in use as of 2010. On 14 May 1985, Pope John Paul II held an open-air mass for 50,000 people at the airport, as part of his visit to the Netherlands. In 1981, a development plan for the airport recommended constructing a 3,500m east–west runway to facilitate growth in cargo operations, particularly during the night hours. The new runway would greatly reduce noise impact over

2112-565: Was paved in 1949, and a second paved runway was completed in 1950. In 1951, an agreement between the airport and the Dutch Air Force allowed for rapid expansion of the facilities. Runway 04/22 was lengthened to 1,850 m (6,070 ft), and permanent runway lighting was installed in 1960. The late 1950s and early 1960s brought significant expansion in commercial operations at the airport. Operators included KLM , Airnautical, Skytours, Euravia , Tradair and Transair . The airport

2160-693: Was signed in 1960 and ratified in 1963. Before the Convention entered into force in 1963, there were already indications that the matter of national sovereignty would complicate the full implementation of the organisation's founding mission. The first European plan for a harmonised air traffic control (ATC) system, proposed in 1962, was beset by the refusal of both France and Britain to comply, largely due to reasons closely linked with their national military airspace control. The other four original members (the Federal Republic of Germany , Belgium ,

2208-513: Was the 31st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, flying the F-6, a reconnaissance version of the P-51 Mustang . The unit arrived on 22 March 1945. As Nazi Germany was rapidly collapsing, the front was already well into Germany by the time the field was ready, and no direct combat sorties were operated from Y-44. 31st TRS was moved to Y-80 near Wiesbaden on 19 April 1945. Authority over what

2256-606: Was to become known as Beek airfield ( vliegveld Beek ), was officially transferred to the Dutch government on 1 August 1945. It was decided to keep it open rather than re-open the pre-war debate over the location of an airport in the Maastricht area. The first civilian aircraft landed on 26 September 1945 and were operated by the Regeeringsvliegdienst , a government service with the purpose of carrying government officials and other people with urgent business, because

2304-455: Was upgraded to category III in 2008, which allows landings in very low visibility conditions. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is the only other airport in the Netherlands that has category III ILS. In March 2011, the airport was certified to handle the upcoming Boeing 747-8 , as two of the airport's major airlines— Cargolux and AirBridge Cargo —have placed orders for this aircraft. Ryanair announced on July 3, 2012, that Maastricht will become

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