Eindhoven Airport could soon face closure for five months in 2027 in order to carry out renovations at Eindhoven Air Base, the Dutch Air Force’s base on the site. The report, put together by the Dutch Ministry of Defence, concluded that the work would take approximately 22 weeks. 

Project planned to take place between February and June 2027

According to the document, the renovation project is set to take place between February and June 2027, but no start date has actually been determined as of yet. Interested contractors can register for the project’s tender until the end of February, and then the government will choose six candidates to compete for the tender. 

The work which will need to be undertaken includes the renovation of the Air Base’s runway, as well as new lighting, cabling and drainage. The plans also seek to upgrade the airport’s Instrument Landing System (ILS) from Category 1 to Category 3, which means that pilots can undertake precision landings with low or no visibility, such as in thick fog or poor weather - a long-time wish of the airport. This upgrade comes with a hefty price tag - an improvement from the current Category 1 runway to a Category 3 stretch alone is set to cost 10 million euros.

Travel industry concerned about impact on travel in the Netherlands

Travel industry bosses have expressed their concerns about the plans, which could see around 17.000 flights cancelled and could mean that 3 million travellers are forced to travel away from Eindhoven to fly from other Dutch airports. The airport, which is owned by the Ministry of Defence, has not yet commented on plans to close. 

A spokesperson for the travel association ANVR said: "Eindhoven is an important airport, with 6.9 million passengers annually; that is 10 percent of air transport in the Netherlands.” During the 22-week closure, flights will have to be transferred to other airports, the ANVR added. 

Thumb image credit: Alex Tihonovs / Shutterstock.com