OAG Travel News

In the USA, jury duty is a civic responsibility.  Qualified citizens are selected randomly to serve, and I received a summons in the mail several weeks ago.  This morning I reported to my county courthouse, and took a seat among hundreds of other citizens.  I felt energized by the potential of actively participating in one of the pillars of our government – of our entire society.

As we assembled in the jury room waiting to be called into service, my thoughts – as they often do – turned to the air service associated with the international justice system.  My personal experience coincides with the controversial release of the only person convicted of the bombing of Pan Am flight 103.  As a lifelong student of the aviation industry, this tragic incident touched my heart long ago.

The Hague – the third-largest city in the Netherlands – is known as the international city of peace and justice.  The Hague is home to both the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the primary judicial organ of the United Nations, and the International Criminal Court (ICC).  (It was in The Hague, at the ICJ, that the trial of convicted Pan Am flight 103 bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi took place in 2001.)  The closest commercial service airport to The Hague is in Rotterdam.  Rotterdam Airport (RTM) averages 33 daily flights on three airlines to 18 destinations.  Following are additional details about service from Rotterdam Airport.
-    Over half of Rotterdam’s flights are on the Dutch low-cost carrier transavia.com
-    transavia.com is wholly-owned by Air France/KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
-    transavia.com provides service to 12 destinations in seven countries from Rotterdam
-    transavia.com’s fleet consists of one aircraft family – Boeing 737s (both 737-700s and 737-800s)
-    Belgium-based VLM Airlines is the second-largest carrier serving Rotterdam
-    VLM operates Fokker 50s (turboprop aircraft)
-    Passengers can travel to Hamburg, London/City and Manchester from Rotterdam on VLM
-    Turkey-based Corendon Airlines provides 20 monthly flights from Rotterdam to three destinations in Turkey – Antalya, Kayseri and Konya
-    Corendon serves Rotterdam with Boeing 737-400 aircraft
-    Rotterdam Airport has one runway measuring 7,200 feet (2,200 meters)
-    Rotterdam Airport served slightly more than one million passengers in 2008

Rotterdam’s relatively limited air service is due in part to its close proximity to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport (AMS).  Serving over 45 million annual passengers, Schiphol ranks among the 15 busiest airports in the world.  But the small size of the primary airport serving The Hague does not diminish the city’s importance or influence.

Tomorrow morning I return to my place within the wood-paneled courtroom walls to continue my jury service.  While my focus will be on the case before me, undoubtedly my thoughts will also be with the families of the victims of Pan Am flight 103… and justice for all.


Source: Official Airline Guide (OAG) Schedule Tapes for scheduled commercial service flights in August 2009, unless otherwise noted; Airports Council International; www.rotterdam-airport.nl