Special Air Services has been operating aircraft at Teuge in the Netherlands for almost 30 years but just months ago it was asked by the airport authorities to manage a purpose-built FBO on site. Teuge airport had previously dealt with handling itself.

The need for the facility which SAS now manages became apparent after its fleet of three Eclipses had experienced handling services at other airports. “We thought to ourselves, why not do the same at Teuge?” says FBO manager Martijn Middelman.

With business aviation traffic at Teuge on the increase, the completion of the FBO was swiftly justified, and Middelman says that further enhancements are now in the pipeline: “To increase business aviation traffic the airport operator is introducing a GPS landing system and an approach light system which is due for July this year.

“We already have a lot of staff and we also have GPUs and towbars. We have added a pilot lounge where crew can relax and print the weather.”

The company has also invested in a towing tractor. However, despite these upgrades, there are still aspects of the airport itself which limit capabilities.

“The runway is not very long at this airport, so it is not possible for the really big jets to land here,” Middelman explains. “The biggest jet flying here on an AOC will be a CitationJet. There is one XL which is at this airport but it is not operated on an AOC, because when it is working on an AOC it is not possible to come to Teuge.

“We get a lot of Piaggio Avantis, Citations and Beech 1900. We hope that in the future, maybe within five years, they will extend the Teuge runway,” Middelman comments. “That is also the wish of the company that owns the airport. But as it stands, and with the current regulations, it can be prohibitive to come here.”