Maastricht Aachen Airport
| Maastricht Aachen Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Maastricht Aachen Airport BV | ||||||||||
| Serves |
Maastricht, Netherlands Aachen, Germany |
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| Location | Beek, Netherlands | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 375 ft / 114 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 50°54′57″N 005°46′37″E / 50.91583°N 5.77694°E | ||||||||||
| Website | www.maa.nl | ||||||||||
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 MST
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| Statistics (2011) | |||||||||||
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| Passengers | 363,000 
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| Cargo (tonnes) | 92,500
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Maastricht Aachen Airport (IATA: MST, ICAO: EHBK) is a regional airport in Beek, 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 is the second-largest hub for cargo flights in the Netherlands. As of 2011, the airport had a passenger throughput of 360,000 and handled 92,500 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 between various municipalities over 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 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 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.
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