IATA Code: MST
Address: PO Box 1
6199 ZG Maastricht Airport
The Netherlands
Distance from City: 5km
Terminal Plan: Here
Day Trip Possible: No
Passenger Numbers: 252,000 (2008)
Closest Alternatives: Eindhoven, Brussels Charleroi
Overview: Primarily what was a cargo airport (the second largest in the Netherlands), Maastricht also lies very close to the German and Belgian borders giving it a relatively large catchment area. With a large university and constant influx of tourists, the airport is well placed to benefit from any upturn in the economy;with many large cities surrounding it. Traffic here has grown steadily in the last couple of years and with the facilities including an ILS Cat III is also well equipped to deal with the latest aircraft.
Getting there: There is a public bus service (59) which serves both Maastricht and Sittard central stations for the short journey to the airport, making it pretty easy to also get the train to one of these stations. The airport is well located via road for travel via Netherlands, Belgium or Germany. Car hire and taxi services are also readily available at the airport.
General Tips: The airport is relatively new but the terminal features a slightly dated design with one main terminal building catering for both departures and arrivals on either side of the airport. There is a hotel and restaurant directly next to (but not attached), which makes it handy if you wish to stay there. There is a good range of facilities including a restaurant, viewing gallery, ATM machine. Past security it’s pretty good; a newsagent shop, duty free, snack bar before the gates. Unlikely to get crowded unless several flights happen to leave at once.
Budget Travellers Guide: A good choice of airport if cheap flights are available with cheap transfer to the nearby cities via the bus. Difficult to reach via anywhere in the UK with no Ryanair flights, with flights only to Alicante, Faro, Girona, Malaga, Pisa, Porto, Trapani and Reus. There used to be a KLM connection to Amsterdam (3 hours by train) but no more. The only other services here are Transavia (Malaga), Sky Airlines (Antalya) or Amsterdam Airlines (Ankara, Kayseri). If you wish to reach here from a different place, getting to Eindhoven or one of the Brussels airports and then taking the train is your best bet.
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
So very good guide.Slightly better news on the low cost flights and its company.