Rotterdam Airport

Infobox Airport
name = Rotterdam Airport
nativename =
nativename-a =
nativename-r =

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image-width = 230px
caption =
IATA = RTM
ICAO = EHRD
type = Public
owner =
operator = Schiphol Group
city-served = Rotterdam
location =
elevation-f = -15
elevation-m = -4.6
coordinates = coord|51|57|25|N|4|26|14|E|type:airport
website = [http://www.rotterdam-airport.nl/ www.rotterdam-airport.nl]
metric-elev = yes
metric-rwy = yes
r1-number = 06/24
r1-length-f = 7,414
r1-length-m = 2,260
r1-surface = Asphalt
stat-year =
stat1-header =
stat1-data =
stat2-header =
stat2-data =
footnotes =

Rotterdam Airport (formerly (Dutch): "Vliegveld Zestienhoven"), Airport codes|RTM|EHRD located in Rotterdam, is The Netherlands' third largest airport, coming after Eindhoven Airport (measured in passengers). From the airport, there are amongst others daily services to London, Hamburg and charter flights. The airport handled over 1,150,400 passengers in 2007.

History

After World War II it was decided by the Dutch government that a second national airport next to Schiphol was needed. The city of Rotterdam had an airport before the war, Waalhaven airport, however, this was destroyed to prevent it from being used by the Germans. Reconstruction of this airport wasn't realistic, so a new location had to be found.

A new location was found, the "Zestienhoven" polder. Construction of the airport started in August 1955 and the airport was officially opened in October 1956. Not long after the opening several large international airlines such as Swissair, Lufthansa and Air France started operating from Rotterdam. However, in the 1970's plans were made to either close or move to airport to make room for houses and the uncertain future caused a stagnation in the airport's growth and many operators left. For almost thirty years the airport faced closure, but the economic growth in the 1990's caused an increase in passengers again and in 2001 it was decided that the airport's current location would be maintained for at least a century.

The longest surviving route, to London Heathrow, currently operated by KLM Cityhopper, will be suspended in favour of the expansion of a Skyteam-hub at London Heathrow. This will mark the end of KLM operating from Rotterdam. Most flights today are operated by regional turboprop aircraft such as the Fokker 50, Dash 8 and ATR aircraft and regional jets such as the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 series. There is also a fair amount of business aviation.

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines frequently visit or operate from/to Rotterdam Airport:

cheduled

*KLM operated by KLM Cityhopper (London-Heathrow) [ends October 25]
*transavia.com (Alicante, Faro, Friedrichshafen [seasonal from December 20] , Geneva, Girona, Grenoble, Innsbruck, Málaga, Nice, Rome-Fiumicino, Salzburg, Toulon)
*VLM Airlines (Donegal [charter] , Guernsey, Hamburg, Isle of Man, Jersey, London-City, Manchester)
*Welcome Air (Innsbruck)

Charter/Other

*Dynamic Airlines
*Jet Netherlands
*Corendon Airlines (Antalya)
*Pegasus Airlines (Antalya)
*Onur Air (Antalya)
*Shell Aviation (f.e. London City, New York, New Delhi)
* [http://www.skyline-aviation.com/site/welcome.php?Acategory=2&module=&lang=uk Skyline Aviation] (Corporate charter, Airwork)
*transavia.com (Antalya, Bodrum, Corfu, Dalaman, Heraklion, Kos, Gran Canaria, Palma de Mallorca, Rhodos, Tenerife, Alicante, Malaga, Faro)
*Tyrolean Air Ambulance (Innsbruck, Chambery, Alicante, Izmir, Malaga)
*VLM Airlines (ad-hoc charters Europe wide)
*Netjets
*Bikkair (very light jet)

The airport is also used extensively by general aviation and there are several flying clubs and schools located on the airport.

See also

* List of airports in the Netherlands

External links

* [http://www.rotterdam-airport.nl/ Rotterdam Airport] (official website)
* [http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?placesearch=Rotterdam%20%28-%20Zestienhoven%29%20%28RTM%20%2F%20EHRD%29&distinct_entry=true Airliners.net] photos taken at Rotterdam Airport.
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=nl&geocode=&q=schiebroek&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=36.505383,69.609375&ie=UTF8&ll=51.953549,4.44324&spn=0.013886,0.033989&t=k&z=15&iwloc=addr&om=1] Google image of Rotterdam Airport