The well-maintained and long runway, the large open space, the existing infrastructure, the relatively quiet airspace and sufficient capacity on the electricity network for charging several electric aircraft, makes it possible to stimulate sustainable aviation.
Thanks in part to these facilities, Twente Airport occupies a central position in the Netherlands as a breeding ground for making national and international aviation more sustainable.
Technology Base
Technology Base is one of the five top work locations in Twente. Together, these innovation hotspots contribute to the positioning of Twente as a smart impact region.
Organizations at Technology Base are part of an ecosystem of technological companies, knowledge institutions and public organizations. It is a vast terrain for unlimited testing of manned and unmanned aviation, autonomous systems and concepts in the field of advanced materials & manufacturing and safety & security.
Technology Base is the testing ground for companies with a thirst for innovation, who want to develop, test and simulate.
History
In the 1930s, Twente textile barons, in cooperation with the local government, set up the airport to improve the connection with the Randstad. In 1932, the first plane from Amsterdam landed on Twente soil.
During World War II, the Germans saw potential in the airfield and expanded it to 2,000 acres. Complete with barracks and officers' housing that excelled in so-called "camouflage architecture.
Later, the site also allowed co-use for civil aviation. In January 2008, the airport was closed to all military and civilian air traffic and only a few flying clubs were still allowed to use the field.
Since March 30, 2017, Twente Airport is a civilian (regional) airport and the incubator for sustainable aviation and new forms of mobility.