Maastricht Aachen Airport secures phytosanitary clearance for cargo

Maastricht Aachen Airport has been reapproved as a Phytosanitary Inspection Centre, allowing plants and plant products to enter the European Union through its Cargo Terminal East, following clearance by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority.

The approval enables continued inspections at the airport to ensure that incoming shipments of flowers, fruit, vegetables, and other plant-based products meet EU standards and are free from harmful organisms before being released into the supply chain.

According to the airport, the reapproval required compliance with NVWA standards covering personnel, infrastructure, biosafety measures, and procedures for handling non-compliant or high-risk cargo, which are central to managing sensitive perishable flows.

Cargo Terminal East has been updated to align with current inspection requirements, including designated unloading and storage zones, inspection areas with appropriate utilities, and facilities designed to support hygiene and containment during checks.

“Thousands of plant-based products enter the EU through Maastricht Aachen Airport every day, including strawberries and peppers from Egypt and flowers from Africa and South America,” said Dean Boljuncic, Head of Commercial Development, Maastricht Aachen Airport.

“Perishables like plants and plant products are the mainstay of our cargo at MST, so being an approved Phytosanitary Inspection Centre is vital for our growing operations, and the upgrades to Cargo Terminal East demonstrate MST’s commitment to the safe import of perishables into Europe.”