Rotterdam The Hague Airport | |||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
Operator | Schiphol Group | ||||||||||
Serves | Rotterdam and The Hague | ||||||||||
Focus city for | Transavia | ||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | -14 ft / -4 m | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 51°56′56″N 4°26′02″E / 51.949020°N 4.434022°ECoordinates: 51°56′56″N 4°26′02″E / 51.949020°N 4.434022°E | ||||||||||
Website | rotterdamthehagueairport.nl | ||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||
Location of airport in Netherlands | |||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
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Statistics (2015) | |||||||||||
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Sources: AIP, Monthly statistics (PDF, Dutch)
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Passengers | 1,692,406 |
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Freight (tonnes) | 80 |
Aircraft movements | 50,834 |
Rotterdam The Hague Airport (formerly Rotterdam Airport, Vliegveld Zestienhoven in Dutch), (IATA: RTM, ICAO: EHRD) located 3 NM (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) north northwest of Rotterdam, is the Netherlands' third largest airport. It serves the city of Rotterdam as well as The Hague and surroundings. The airport handled over 1.5 million passengers in 2013 and features scheduled flights to European metropolitan and leisure destinations. It is also used extensively by general aviation and there are several flying clubs and schools located at the airport.
After World War II, the Dutch government decided that a second national airport was needed in addition to Schiphol. Rotterdam had had an airport before the war - Waalhaven airport - but it was heavily damaged in the bombing of Rotterdam, and later destroyed completely to prevent it from being used by the Germans. Reconstruction of the airport was not a realistic proposition, so a new location was found in the Zestienhoven polder, giving the airport its name.
Construction of the airport began in August 1955 and the airport was officially opened in October 1956. Several large international airlines, such as Swissair, Lufthansa and Air France, were soon operating from Rotterdam. However, in the 1970s plans were made to either close or move the airport to make room for houses and the uncertain future caused a stagnation in the airport's growth and many operators left.