The Royal Schiphol Group is not looking to buy any shares at Groningen Airport Eelde.
Translation by Traci White
Eelde is interested in working more closely with the Schiphol group, but Schiphol spokesperson Willemeike Koster told Dagblad van het Noorden that the group is not planning to buy any shares in the Drenthe airport.
The appointment of two new members to GAE’s board of commissioners was announced on Monday: Wilma Mansveld, the former State Secretary for Infrastructure and the Environment, and Leendert Klaassen, the former president of Stenden University of Applied Sciences and past representative in the Dutch Upper House. Their main tasks are to look into a closer working relationship with Schiphol and to find ways to reduce the number of shareholders in the airport.
The current shareholders in the airport are the provinces of Groningen and Drenthe and the municipalities of Groningen, Tynaarlo and Assen. The municipality of Groningen has said that they want to get rid of their shares.
The airport is hoping that Schiphol will eventually take over at least part of the airport’s operations. Eelde’s reasoning is that becoming involved with the Royal Schiphol Group will make it more attractive for airlines to operate out of Eelde as Schiphol continues to push the limits of its capacity. Although the company is not interested in becoming a shareholder, the group is still open to the idea of some form of closer partnership with the Drenthe airport – what form that may take remains to be seen.
The Royal Schiphol Group owns all of the shares at Schiphol and also owns and operates airports in The Hague, Lelystad, and Eindhoven. Outside of the Netherlands, the company is also involved with airport operations in France, Australia and the United States.
