The Netherlands’ regional airports have benefited from a rise in passenger numbers since an extra tax on plane travel was imposed in Germany, Nos television reports.

Maastricht Aachen airport, for example, booked a growth of 70% in the first six months of this year as budget airlines Germanwings and Ryanair expanded their capacity. Maastricht has even organised shuttle bus services to pick up passengers from Germany.
In Eindhoven, passenger numbers are up 29% in the first half of this year.
And airline Transavia’s German language website reports a doubling in bookings since last year. All Transavia flights leave from the Netherlands.
Groningen airport, also close to Germany, has not benefited from the change in the German law because its runway is too short to allow Boeing 737s which are the budget airlines’ favourite, Nos says.