Airport dining in style - in an air traffic control tower

Amsterdam Airport has always been home to some very decent restaurants, and today, they welcomed the newest establishment to their lineup. The WINGS food & drinks restaurant is located at the east side of the airport, home to the old Schiphol location (which closed in the 60's).

What sets this restaurant apart from any other airport eatery, is that it is built inside an old air traffic control tower. The tower was built in 1952, when Schiphol handled just 325 passengers a day.

In 1998, the tower was scheduled to be demolished, but thanks to donations from various Dutch companies, a moving team picked the tower up, and moved it 30 meters from its original location, saving it from the wrecking ball. At 661,000 lbs, not an easy thing to do.

With the tower at its new location, construction crews transformed it from its original task into a restaurant and meeting center. The tower features four floors of meeting rooms, all overlooking the airport runways.

Unfortunately, WINGS is not easy to reach from the main airport building, but a bus service operates between the main terminal buildings and "Schiphol Oost". WINGS is open on weekdays, and offers a full menu with everything from typical Dutch food to various international dishes and sandwiches.

Filed under: Food and Drink, Airports