Royal Haskoning unveils airport 20km off Dutch coast, including rotating runways

Dutch engineer Royal Haskoning has unveiled proposals for floating airport in the North Sea.

The airport, which would sit about 20km off the Dutch coast, would include floating and rotating runways and passengers would be transferred to the mainland on shuttles through bored tunnels.

Royal Haskoning, which has been working with dredging company Van Oord on the proposal, said the scheme would reduce the pressure on Schiphol Airport and cut noise and air pollution affecting local communities.

The proposal also includes plans to create 250 km² of “new land” off the coast of Holland. The project would take about 25 years and use up around 3.8bn cubic metres of sand from the North Sea.

The companies have also suggested a new row of dunes on the reclaimed land to cope with the expected rise in sea levels of 60-80 cm before the end of the century.

The news comes as mayor of London Boris Johnson revealed plans to replace Heathrow with a 24-hour airport in the Thames estuary.

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