<h2 class="blog-hed2 pb-lg-4 pb-3 text-lg-center">History of Maastricht-Aachen International Airport</h2>
<p class="blog-para">The history of Maastricht-Aachen Airport (MAA) makes for a story worth telling.Plans for an airport in the southern Limburg region of the Netherlands date back as early as 1919. Yet, those initial plans never materialized. Different municipalities continued to debate over its location and funding.</p>
<p class="blog-para">Plans for an airport in southern Limburg date back as far as 1919, with various locations being considered. Years of debate among various municipalities over the location and funding of the airport delayed its construction. In July 1939, the Limburg provincial government agreed to financially back the airport; however, the start of World War II meant the plans were put on hold once more.</p>
<p class="blog-para">After the allied invasion of Normandy, the USAAF Ninth Air Force, specifically the IX Engineer Command, was tasked with constructing temporary airfields close to the advancing front. The area around Maastricht was liberated in 1944. In October 1944, the advance headquarters of the XIX Tactical Air Command and the 84th and 303rd Fighter Wings were moved to Maastricht to keep up with the Ninth Army. In 1946, the service was taken over by KLM, using DC-3 Dakotas. However, as repairs to the Dutch infrastructure progressed, demand for the service dropped, and it was stopped in 1949. The first semi-permanent airport terminal was completed in 1947. The runway was paved in 1949, and a second paved runway was completed in 1950. In 1951, an agreement between the airport and the Dutch Air Force allowed for the rapid expansion of the facilities. Runway 04/22 was lengthened to 1,850 m (6,070 ft), and permanent runway lighting was installed in 1960.</p>
<p class="blog-para">In December 2013, a spokesperson for the airport confirmed the closure of the Ryanair base in March 2014, entailing the ending of the Bergamo, Brive, Dublin, London-Stansted, and M&aacute;laga flights. In 2017, Corendon Dutch Airlines announced that they would open a base at the airport with one aircraft in summer 2018. In late 2018, renovations started on the passenger terminal. Also, freight carriers such as Emirates SkyCargo and Saudia Cargo found their way to the airport, while Turkish Airlines Cargo, Silk Way Airlines, and Sky Gates Airlines further expanded their operations in Maastricht. Meanwhile, both Corendon Dutch Airlines and Ryanair announced that they would expand their number of destinations. Corendon Dutch Airlines even built a second aircraft during the summer season.</p>
<h2 class="blog-hed2 pb-lg-4 pb-3 text-lg-left">Ground transportation from Maastricht-Aachen International Airport</h2>
<p class="blog-para"><strong>Car: </strong>The airport is located along highway A2, exit 50. Taxis are available at the airport.</p>
<p class="blog-para"><strong>Bus:</strong> There is bus service (line 30), operated by Arriva, running between Sittard and Maastricht. This line also covers transport between the Maastricht railway station and the airport. KLM operates a bus connection service to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Tickets to use this service are an add-on to a KLM flight ticket.</p>
<p class="blog-para"><strong>Bicycle:</strong> The airport is situated along the Sittard-Maastricht fast cycling route, which is designed to encourage more people to cycle.</p>
<p><img class="img-fluid p-lg-0 rounded w-100" title="Maastricht-Aachen " src="../../main/img/airport/mas/1.webp" alt="Maastricht-Aachen " width="950px" height="500px"></p>