The province of Limburg has bought Maastricht Aachen airport from its private owners for the symbolic amount of €1, now that the airport’s expansion has been limited.

The airport is currently the property of Candeger BV, a company owned by entrepreneur Ismail Durmaz and brothers Avy and Danny Reik. Durmaz said in a statement that he has decided to ditch his interest because of ‘the limits which are being placed on this great airport’. Candeger had a concession to operate the airport up to 2026.

The province has decided to limit the airport’s expansion in the coming years to 30% after several years of growth, and mounting complaints from locals. In 2015, the airport processed 250,000 passengers and that is set to hit 400,000 this year, plus 120,000 tonnes of cargo.

The province will now decide whether or not to look for a new partner. The airport is currently profitable and airline Corendon has just signed a new six year contract.