Twente Airport

Twente Airport is a general and business aviation airport near Enschede in the east of the Netherlands. It is part of Technology Base. The airport calls itself a Living Lab for Sustainable Air Mobility, a nursery for sustainable aviation and new forms of mobility.

The airport helps connect the east of the Netherlands with the rest of Europe. Charter flights and private jets save time for business travellers. Members of the Vliegclub Twente and the Twentsche Zweefvliegclub fly for fun from the field. The province of Overijssel is the competent authority for the airport.

The airfield has a long, well-kept runway, a lot of open space, existing infrastructure and quiet airspace. It also has enough capacity on the electricity network to charge several electric aircraft. The fenced site covers more than 220 hectares and has indoor and outdoor test facilities. These have been used for radar tests by NLR, tests by Solar Team Twente, military exercises such as Falcon Leap and Orange Bull with tactical landings by Air Mobility Command, an exercise with unmanned systems for the Royal Netherlands Army, and workshops on drones for site security.

Twente Airport has 20 aircraft stands. They have been used to park airliners for a time. KLM parked an Embraer 195 E2 there before returning it to service, and it flew a Boeing 737-800 to Twente on its last flight. KLM Cityhopper won a prize for a special event at the airport. Fixed instrument approach and departure routes were added to improve access, and on the longest day of the year the airport extends its flying hours.

Companies with airport-related activity can set up on site. Aircraft End-of-Life Solutions (AELS) is based at the airport. In eleven years it has recycled more than fifty aircraft, from a Fokker 50 to Boeing 747s, with investment from Innovatiefonds Overijssel and Aalberts Investments.

The airport hosts events. These include the After Summer Fly-In, Wheels and Wings, the Runway Run for KiKa, the SPRINT Robotics World Conference and expert meetings on electric flying. In June 2026, a fully electric five-seat aircraft made its first landing in the Netherlands at Twente.

Services

• Aircraft testing and experiments
• Business and charter flying
• Aircraft parking
• Business premises for aviation companies
• Aircraft recycling site (AELS)
• Event hosting
• Electric aircraft charging capacity