Groningen Airport Eelde has existed for ninety years today. The development of the airport was not without a struggle. “At the time, that was a very long battle between all kinds of municipalities around Groningen because they all wanted an airport,” says Doewe Pelleboer of the historical association Ol Eel.
The airport was officially opened on May 23, 1931. The idea for an airport in the north of the country arose a few years earlier. “KLM contacted the municipality of Groningen to see if an airport could be built somewhere in the north,” says Pelleboer. RTV Drenthe.
Choosing a location was difficult, according to Pelleboer. “It is thanks to the then alderman Bähler-Boerma that it eventually became Eelde. She offered a location and was supported in this by sports pilot Haijo Hindriks and the then mayor of Groningen.”
Lawn
The opening was a special event at the time. “There was a complete air show, including foreign aircraft. 23,000 people attended,” says Pelleboer.
The revelry turned to mourning when Haijo Hendriks crashed his plane less than a month and a half after the opening. A memorial stone has been placed in memory at the entrance to the departure hall at Groningen Airport Eelde.
In the beginning, the airport was a large lawn, says Pelleboer. “In the winter it was very wet and there was very little flying. There are pictures of skating at the airport in winter.”
The idea for an airport in the north of the country was born in 1927:
–
