Giving the silent majority a voice and at the same time showing what you do as an airport to prevent nuisance to the environment. According to Meiltje de Groot, CEO of Groningen Airport Eelde since January 2021, these are things that make an airport future-proof. Meiltje de Groot is featured in the new edition of TravMagazine’s Top 50, which looks ahead to the future of the sector under the motto ‘Back to the Future’. De Groot gives her vision on the future of airports. ‘The discussion around Schiphol already points to something, namely that there must be a good balance between the airport and the region where it is located. So in addition to a permit, it’s also about support from your environment for everything you do,’ says De Groot, who has broad experience in aviation. ‘And that is very complicated, because in the Netherlands at the moment people mainly listen to a small group, often a minority with a big mouth or with a lot of actions. But you don’t hear the silent minority, even though they clearly indicate in surveys that they want to continue traveling. The question is how to give that group more voice in the debate on aviation. At the same time, it is important that we ensure that our inconvenience is as small as possible. This is about noise, but also about emissions. So as a sector, we don’t just have to shout things, but also show what we do.’ Groningen sets a good example. Among other things, the airport focuses on avoiding noise pollution. For example, the KLM flight school, which flies from Groningen, recently purchased a quieter type of aircraft. These are also more sustainable because they use less fuel. As the smallest airport in the Netherlands, Groningen Airport Eelde is fully committed to innovation. For example, the airport has a 22 megawatt solar park. In addition, preparations have recently started to be able to produce green hydrogen in the future as an emission-free fuel for light aircraft, drones and ground equipment at the airport. De Groot acknowledges that it will not all be settled tomorrow or the day after. “There are still a lot of interesting issues that we don’t have to solve next week, but we do need to work on. This is very important for airports of the future.’ Meiltje de Groot sees a healthy future for regional airports such as Groningen, especially when it comes to relieving the burden on Schiphol. She calls it ‘unnecessary’ that passengers have to board the plane at four o’clock in the morning to go to Ibiza from Schiphol. ‘While you actually have to organise it in such a way that something like this can be done from your own region,’ says De Groot, who notes that politicians must then agree that GAE can start half an hour earlier every day and stay open an hour longer. It is then worthwhile for airlines to station an aircraft at Groningen in the summer months. ́ The new edition of the Top 50 has recently landed on the doormat of subscribers. The digital edition of the Top 50: Back to the Future is also available digitally. Read the new list of the 50 largest travel companies. This one has a new top three after years. In addition, many newcomers, not only in the Top 50, but also in the sublists of largest tour operators and retailers. Order the new edition of
the special Top 50 issue of TravMagazine.
Photo: Meiltje de Groot (Archive photo TravMagazine).
