Den Helder Airport Expands with Offshore Ops Growth

New check-in desks at Den Helder Airport were opened to the travelling public yesterday, as it was necessary to enlarge the check-in section to meet the demands of the operators based at the airport.

“Several of our helicopter spots were recently renovated, and we are now working on expanding capacity to process the increased number of passengers, on time,” explained Conny van den Hoff, director of Den Helder Airport.

Over the past five years, the number of passengers has risen by 22 percent to 147,000 per year. The majority of passengers are offshore personnel who travel by helicopter on a daily basis to and from the approximately 135 gas, oil and service platforms out at sea.

The next prospective market for both Den Helder Airport and the Port of Den Helder is maintenance work on offshore wind farms.

Earlier this year, Den Helder Airport announced its ambition to tap into new markets. There are opportunities in facilitating scheduled flights and  charter flights (maximum capacity 30-50 passengers) for transporting offshore personnel from the Netherlands and abroad directly from and to Den Helder.

The focus will be placed on direct scheduled flights between Aberdeen in the UK and Esbjerg in Denmark. Thanks to the ideal location in respect of the Southern North Sea, in close cooperation with the Port of Den Helder, Den Helder Airport also aims to concentrate on helicopter transport for maintenance personnel to the growing number of wind farms in the North Sea.

Image: Den Helder Airport