The Koksijde airbase will be in the hands of the city of Veurne and the municipality of Koksijde from 2025. From then on, the domain will be named “The new base”.
It has been three years since the Belgian Ministry of Defence decided to move the helicopter fleet from Koksijde to Ostend in 2025. The mayor of Koksijde Marc Vanden Bussche has now unveiled the new name of the future domain. From 2025, the former airbase will be called “The new base”.
When the last soldier leaves in 2025, the city authorities of Koksijde and Veurne will buy the Defence domain together.
“The base will remain an open area mainly focused on recreation,” explains Vanden Bussche. A bicycle highway will be built between the centres of Veurne and Koksijde; “the existing pavement can be reused for cycling, hiking and mountain biking routes“. The runways will also be retained for the recreational Royal West Aviation Club, albeit in a shortened version.
“I still see the possibility of an aviation museum in a hangar,” adds Vanden Bussche. “We can then operate that together with the Army Museum.” The Belgian Defence will retain a limited landing platform for specific exercises after 2025.
Source: VRT
