Six Boeings 747 of the German airline Lufthansa have been temporarily parked in Twente Airport in The Netherlands since the summer.
The six Boeing 747s are at risk of not being able to leave the airport due to a change from the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT).
The first two Boeing 747s landed to Twente at the beginning of June, the last on July 24. The planes landed in Twente because it is one of the few airports where there is still room to park such large planes.
Lufthansa aircraft are now obsolete and will no longer be used in the future. However the aircraft will not be dismantled in Twente and have to leave soon.
But the six Boeing 747-400’s are too heavy to take off from this regional airport, as the infrastructure and departure procedures have not been approved for wide-body operations.
Twente Airport simply does not have the correct safety certificate. Larger aircraft such as the Boeings can land at Twente, but only for dismantling. The airport infrastructure is not suitable for taking off larger and heavier aircraft.
Twente Airport has been working for some time to adjust the safety certificate, but the airport has not yet met the necessary conditions. It is not clear how long this could possibly take place.
