General Aviation
Lelystad Airport has been in existence for over 50 years and is the busiest General Aviation airport in the Netherlands. Lelystad Airport offers a wide range of aviation activities, such as flight training, business aviation, aerobatics flights, helicopter flights and maintenance.
Lelystad Airport is used for various purposes, including business aviation, pilot training, recreational activities, aerial photography and medical flights. The airport’s hangars house some 150 to 200 aircraft, which are all used regularly.
On fine days, there are between 350-450 air transport movements. Lelystad Airport has around 80,000 air transport movements per year.
General Aviation is an important part of the aviation sector, and made use of by individual pilots, airlines (e.g. for pilot training), aviation companies and aviation enthusiasts.
Air traffic control (Luchtverkeersleiding Nederland)
In recent years, there have been significant developments. Since November 7, 2019, air traffic at Lelystad Airport has been flying in airspace controlled by air traffic control, Luchtverkeersleiding Nederland (LVNL). This is the airspace located directly around the airport. Most pilots at Lelystad Airport fly ‘manually’ and ‘by sight’ and follow established routes based on landscape features, which can result in slight variations in the flight path, also influenced by factors such as weather conditions, other air traffic, and aircraft type.
The role of air traffic control is to provide information to air traffic (e.g., about weather conditions and other air traffic on the routes or at the airport). Air traffic control determines when a pilot is allowed to enter or exit the controlled airspace and when they may merge into and out of the flight routes within the controlled airspace.
Fire department
The airport has its own fire department. The team consists of 18 people, with 4 of them working on a 16-hour shift. The fire department is responsible for the control and prevention of incidents and minor industrial accidents on the airport premises. The fire department also deals with ice and snow removal, and the firefighters and crash tenders are deployed to provide support in the region. In doing so, the fire department contributes to ensuring the safety and continuity of Lelystad Airport. At Lelystad Airport, two crash tenders are stationed. Read all about this special vehicle here.