Den Helder Airport (DHA) in the Netherlands will facilitate helicopter flights for the maintenance of the 269MW Deutsche Bucht offshore wind farm for MHI Vestas.
DHA was chosen for the German offshore wind farm maintenance contract due to its strategic location and as well as having required customs services and handling companies.
The transport of personnel and small cargo will be handled by DHSS from DHA.
The close proximity to Schiphol International Airport also played a crucial role in Den Helder’s selection, the latter said.
DHA director Conny van den Hoff said: “Specialist personnel in the sector are scarce and therefore expensive.
“It is important to be able to get specialists on location as quickly as possible, and to have short and fast logistics lines. DHA’s location enables this.”
Van den Hoff added: “Specialised staff come from all over the world, via Schiphol and our professional helicopter airport, they are the fastest on location at Deutsche Bucht.”
Two years ago, various companies based at Den Helder Airport, including DHSS, decided to change their strategy to market the airport as a North Sea offshore wind hub.
With the recently confirmed Dutch ‘Luchthavenbesluit’, the number of civil flight movements at Den Helder Airport is allowed to increase from 27,000 to 29,000 per year, with still space to facilitate a scheduled service.
“Den Helder Airport has gone through an intensive period in which a number of processes have been put in motion to promote activities.
“We see this as confirmation that this chosen strategy is bearing fruit. It also reinforces the vision of six cooperating North Sea airports, united in the North Sea Heliports Alliance,” said Van den Hoff.