Former Eindhoven Alderman and former member of the Dutch House of Representatives, Staf Depla, is to head the Luchthaven Eindhoven Overleg (Eindhoven Airport Consultative Committee, LEO).
Depla will chair the consultative body for the next four years. Luchthaven Eindhoven Overleg was established in 2020 as a permanent consultative body between Eindhoven Airport, local residents and the municipalities involved. Depla succeeds Pieter van Geel as interim chairman of the consultative body.
The former Alderman says he is looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead at Eindhoven Airport. The former Alderman says he has a clear vision of what he wants to achieve in those four years as chairman.
“There is a very good recommendation from Pieter van Geel that all parties can endorse”, Depla says in an initial reaction. “The ambition is to ensure that that report is implemented properly. We need to put flesh on the bones”.
Depla is also aware that this is no easy task. Trust between local residents and the airport is fragile. For example, local residents immediately became dissatisfied when several flights landed after 23:00. The proposed expansion of the terminal raised questions in the political arena.
‘See what we can agree on’
Depla mainly sees that there is enough to work with. “The good thing about Van Geel’s advice is that everyone agrees with it. It recognises that there are different interests and different points of view. From there, we can start looking at what those different parties do agree on, so that choices can be made”.
Depla will be officially appointed on 3 November, when the various members of the LEO meet.
Source: Studio 040
Translated by: Bob
