Peest Airport

Military Decommissioning. The site was a US Army/NATO Mobilisation Complex that became obsolete following the end of the Cold War. The strategic need for such forward-deployed storage facilities in Europe diminished significantly, leading to its closure and the withdrawal of US forces.

The site has been completely demilitarized and returned to the Netherlands. A large portion of the former complex has been successfully transformed into a nature reserve called 'Het Grote Zand'. The distinctive, earth-covered ammunition bunkers (known as 'igloos') remain. Many have been repurposed for civilian use, including secure storage for businesses (archives, fireworks), and several have been converted into protected habitats for hibernating bats, earning them the name 'bat bunkers'. The area is now a popular destination for hiking and nature observation.

The site was never a public or commercial airport. It was a strategic NATO Mobilisation Complex (MOB-complex Peest) operated by the US Army during the Cold War. Its primary function was the secure storage of ammunition, vehicles, and military equipment intended for rapid deployment of US forces to Europe in the event of a conflict (part of the REFORGER plan). The ICAO code NL-0040, found in some unofficial databases, likely designated a helipad or a small, private emergency airstrip within the military compound, not a conventional airport for general or commercial aviation. Its significance was purely military, as a key logistical node in NATO's defense posture in Northern Europe.

None. There are no plans or prospects to reopen the site as an airport. Its current designation as a nature reserve and the repurposing of its core infrastructure for conservation and private business storage are permanent. Any redevelopment for aviation purposes is highly improbable.