On 24 April, NHV’s helicopter carrying passengers from Van Oord to the UK East Anglia ONE offshore wind farm took off from Peterson’s newly opened helicopter passenger terminal at Zeeland Airport in the Netherlands and thus marked the operational launch of the terminal.
The energy logistics service provider Peterson said that it expects the new terminal to support up to 4,000 passengers through hundreds of helicopter flights every year, offering new transportation options to the offshore wind industry which, in the south west of the Netherlands, has been largely supported by the port of Vlissingen.
“This is an area in which we already have decades of experience, through our Den Helder terminal, and we have used our proven process to bring a great customer experience to Zeeland Airport,” said Jan Schipper , Regional Director at Peterson. “The renewables industry is a growing and evolving business and through this new terminal, we have the flexibility to support its changing needs. Depending on what the market is asking for, we will look at what kind of services we can offer in addition to helicopter transfers. Our local Vlissingen office will play an important role in this.”
The company stated that, with Zeeland Airport being located just 3.5km from the port and only a 15-minute flight to the new Borssele wind farms, flying personnel and equipment to the sites will be one of the most efficient ways to travel, saving time and the associated costs.
Jan Willem Cornelissen , Business Manager Aviation at Peterson, said: “The airport is ideally located and, combined with our aviation expertise and innovations, we are confident this site will become the most efficient gateway to the new wind farms.”