New General Aviation Terminal at Schiphol-East opened for use

The new General Aviation Terminal at Schiphol-East was opened for use today. The opening ceremony took place in the presence of Ad Rutten (Executive Vice President & COO for Schiphol Group), André van den Berg (Schiphol Real Estate Director) and the users.

General Aviation (GA) is the international designation for private and business flights using aircraft for no more than 19 passengers. Each year about 4,500 business jet flights are handled at Schiphol-East. The present GA Terminal has been housed in Building 106 for several decades, but this building is now old and due for replacement.

To continue meeting the market and quality requirements of business jet passengers, Schiphol Real Estate worked with VMX Architects to design a new terminal. This new terminal has a surface area of 6,000 m2: 1,000 m2 for the terminal and lounges, 4,000 m2 of office space and 1,000 m2 for parking.

The terminal is located on the apron that is specifically used for small aircraft. It is a multifunctional building, with both handling areas and offices. User-friendliness and hospitality were the main priorities for the interior design. The main users of the terminal are the handling agents KLM, Aviapartner and Jetsupport. Other parties, including Jet Netherlands, Nayak (aircraft management and maintenance), Aerdynamics and Solid Air, are already renting 50% of the office space.

Sustainability

The building has been designed on sustainable principles. For example, the lighting and ventilation systems both operate using presence detectors, the outside walls have extra insulation, and low-temperature heating, daylight detection for the lighting and several other energy-saving measures have been implemented.

Architecture

The General Aviation Terminal is an exceptional piece of architecture. The terminal facade consists of silver-coloured panels and large areas of glass. On the apron side, the building features a twelve-metre long magenta-coloured awning. The interior of the new terminal is modern and fits in with the character of the building: efficient, inviting and innovative, and at the same time stylish and sustainable. This is also reflected in the car park, the handling areas and the offices. The natural stone floor consists of triangular tiles. These white, grey and black tiles have been laid so that they form a traditional Dutch windmill pattern.

Schiphol-East

Schiphol-East is the oldest part of Schiphol. From 1916 until the opening of the current Schiphol-Centre in 1967, Schiphol-East was the area where all aviation activities took place. It is still an important part of the airport. The hangars are located here, as well as Air Traffic Control the Netherlands and various companies such as Martinair, transavia.com and Bombardier. It is also the place where small-scale air traffic, General Aviation, is handled.

Schiphol Real Estate

A wholly owned subsidiary of Schiphol Group, Schiphol Real Estate develops, manages, operates and invests in commercial real estate.