How special to be able to write a column for this website as director of Eindhoven Airport. Den Helder and Eindhoven are of course two very different airports. But there are also many things that are in common and where we find each other. We are both co-users of Defense infrastructure. A great collaboration model in which scarce airport capacity is used efficiently. But we can also exchange knowledge in many other areas, learn from each other and work together where possible. We do this mainly within the Dutch Association of Airports (NVL), where we participate together in professional groups and also make our voice heard as much as possible towards The Hague.
In addition, Den Helder and Eindhoven Airport share the same passion and ambition when it comes to making our sector more sustainable. We believe that electrification can offer an important solution, especially for smaller traffic. That is why we have set up the Power Up partnership together with other Dutch airports. Our ambition as Dutch airports is to be a leader in facilitating electric aviation. Today, electric aviation is still very limited. Only very small devices with a limited range are on the market. But I am convinced that this will change and that this will certainly provide great opportunities for Den Helder Airport. It is good that we are already thinking about this together, not all reinventing the wheel ourselves and are well pre-sorted to accommodate (existing and new) operators at an early stage. It is Power Up's vision that there will ultimately be a new (sustainable) form of mobility with new (air) connections between European places, with regional airports playing a very important role.
Aviation brings us so many beautiful things. It brings people and cultures together. But in order to continue to do this in the long term, we will have to go through a transition to sustainable aviation. Electrification is one of the building blocks there, alongside sustainable fuels and hydrogen, among others. We will have to work on all the building blocks and it is great that airports such as Den Helder and Eindhoven Airport are working together constructively. Here's to a bright future for aviation and our airports!
