• Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST) has received renewed approval from the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) to operate its Cargo Terminal East as a certified Phytosanitary Inspection Centre.
• This reapproval enables MST to continue processing high volumes of plant-based cargo — including flowers, fruits, and vegetables — directly into the European Union.
• The facility underwent significant upgrades to meet the latest NVWA requirements, including enhanced biosafety measures, improved infrastructure, and dedicated inspection areas for non-compliant or high-risk shipments. 

Maastricht Aachen Airport’s (MST) Cargo Terminal East has been reapproved as a Phytosanitary Inspection Centre by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA).

This means that flowers, fruit, vegetables, and plant-based products can enter the EU via the airport, and checks and inspections will continue at MST to verify that plant shipments do not contain harmful organisms and to ensure product quality.

To maintain its certification, MST had to meet stringent NVWA requirements for personnel, facilities, biosafety, and the handling of non-compliant or high-risk shipments.

MST’s updated Cargo Terminal East meets the most recent requirements for a Phytosanitary Inspection Site, including unloading and storage areas that are easy to clean, proper lighting, and an inspection site equipped with a washbasin and hot water.

“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.”