Eindhoven fears drug trafficking through flights to Antilles

The municipality of Eindhoven is concerned that airline Arke's plan to fly from the city to Aruba and Curacao will result in large amounts of drugs being trafficked through Eindhoven Airport. Arke wants to make two weekly flights from Eindhoven to the two islands from November. In a letter to Minister Ard van der Steur of Security and Justice, Eindhoven Mayor Rob Gijzel states that these flights would contain "major drug-related security risks", RTL Nieuws reports. The municipality expects 100 percent checks on flights from the islands - every passenger and all luggage must be checked. This measure will mean extra input from the police, justice and the marechaussee (military police). And according to the mayor, this extra capacity must not come at the expense of the existing deployment. The municipality also thinks that, apart from the safety concerns, these flights are of no "eminent economic interest" for the region.