The Netherlands: Air Force Clears Way for Olympics

During the coming weeks, the Royal Netherlands Air Force will free up part of Dutch military airspace for civilian use. This is to enable better distribution of the large number of extra flights during the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London.

The airspace provided by the Defence organisation is to act as a kind of rush-hour lane. It covers the central and eastern parts of the province of North Brabant. This area, like a number of other large sections of Dutch airspace, is normally used for exercising with F-16s.

Extra

To ensure that everyone reaches their destination, an extra 1,850 flights will be carried out on top of the scheduled number of 2,000. Of these extra flights, 1,000 are business flights, 700 are extra commercial flights, and 150 flights will carry a VIP on board.

Exercises

During the coming period, the F-16s will conduct their exercises in other areas of the Netherlands, such as the airspace over Leeuwarden and the North Sea. To help ensure that everything runs smoothly, a point of contact has been stationed at Maastricht Upper Air Control (MUAC).

[mappress]
Naval Today Staff, August 1, 2012; Image: defensie