|
Lufthansa
Group intends to launch a holiday service from Frankfurt to Windhoek from the
end of September 2020. Lufthansa will increasingly focus on tourist routes and,
therefore, it has now founded a new company under the name “Ocean” that is to be
used for precisely those holiday flights, by merging subsidiaries in order to
save costs. However, Ocean is not a new subsidiary airline, but only a flight
operation with an “Air Operator Certificate” (AOC) licence. You will never see
any aircraft in a new “Ocean” livery in the future. This service will be
operated by Brussels Airlines on behalf of Eurowings using an airbus A.330-300.
At this moment there is still a ban on flights into Namibia imposed by the local
government. |
Today
TUI restarted its flights from Antwerp Airport after the abrupt stop due to the
Covid 19 pandemic in mid March. Today Embraer Emb.190 OO-JEM performed the first
service to Split as ‘Beauty27G’.
(photo : Hugo De Backer) |
 His
Majesty King Philippe of the Belgians paid a visit to Liege
Airport to thank the staff and key partners for their efforts in enabling the
efficient distribution of
medical supplies to Belgium and across Europe during the Covid-19 pandemic, and
the vital role of
logistics to support Belgium and Europe’s economic recovery. During his visit,
King Philippe
participated in a roundtable discussion with representatives of key partners of
Liege Airport,
including Alibaba Group. The King expressed warm appreciation for the efficient
distribution and
logistics capabilities of Alibaba’s eWTP Hub and Liege Airport. |
 Lowcost
carrier Ryanair intends to fire 44 pilots and 40 cabin crew, all Belgian based
personnel. This is, almost certainly, a result of the lower number of flights
the company operates from Brussels and Charleroi/Brussels South airports. |
|
Initially
Thai Airways announced a restart of the scheduled flights into Brussels for 2th
August 2020. Now the company postponed this untill 1th September. At that moment
they will offer 3 flights per week (Tuesday, Friday and Sunday) |
 Passenger
numbers were still 96.10% down compared to June 2019. Only 1.871 passengers
passed throught the gates.
For the second quarter 2.791 passengers where counted compared to 192.419 last
year (minus 97.80%)
The cargo volume rose to a record 5.666 tonnes, an increase with more than 165%
compared to June 2019. During the first quarter of 2020 the airport handled
15.065 tonnes (+ 178%). This number is already higher than the total volume
handled during 2019. |
During
June 2020 only 2.894 passengers used Antwerp Airport. 91% less than a year ago.
Business aviation already showed more activity than during the previous months.
TUI Fly will restart its activities on 10 July with flights to Split and Ibiza. |
 Number
of passengers to exceed the 10,000 mark on the July 1st.
Tomorrow will see the official start of the summer holidays. Since the restart
of non-essential travels within Europe on the 15th of June and as more countries
reopened their borders, Brussels Airport has been adding more destinations to
its network every week. At the start of the holidays, more than 100, mainly
European, destinations will be served. By the beginning of August, this offer
shall have increased to 140 destinations. France, Spain, Portugal, Greece and
Italy are some of the flagship countries that look forward to welcoming
holidaymakers. |
LVL320
Crew training is a subsidiary of Skywings Flight Training, located at Antwerp
airport. LVL320 focuses on crew training solutions such as MCC and APS MCC for
flight schools and on skill care and screening preparation for qualified Airbus
pilots. All the training will be provided on their brand-new static Airbus A320
type-specific MCC simulator.
 LVL320
hopes to attract flight schools from all over Europe as a partner for the
multi-crew training part of a professional pilot training.
Students are coached by Airbus rated and qualified instructors. |
Last
Sunday, 21st June 2020, a FlyingGroup Falcon 900 landed safely at Cologne Bonn
airport after a flight from Haiti.
On board were 10 orphaned children from Haiti that will live with their adoptive
parents in Europe.
‘Help A Child’, the adoption agency that chartered the flight ran into numerous
delays and disappointments. But FlyingGroup accepted this complex mission and
finalized it with great success. For this flight the aircraft was crewed by
three pilots and a flight attendant. |
 Alyzia
will offer Ground handling services at Brussels airport along Aviapartner.
The French company will receive a temporary licence for 6 months and intend to
start on1th July depending on the authorisiation from the Belgian aviation
authorities.
The company plans to hire former employees from Swissport.
At this moment the company is active on 8 French airports. This is their first
activity outside France. |
 As
from today skydiving is allowed again under the current Covid 19 rules. Jumpers
and pilot must wear a mouth-mask (or closed helmet) during the complete flight
and jump. Up to 20 people are allowed per flight. The aircraft must be
desinfected after each drop. The cockpit of the aircraft when there is a change
of pilot. |
During
May 2020 the cargo transported via Ostend Airport rose with 168,60% (from 1.439
ton in May 2019 to 3.866 ton now)
Only 635 passengers passed through the airport (-98.50%) and 1.101 movements
were counted (-59.70%) |
 Wizz
Air announced today a 14th destination from Charleroi Airport. As from 29
October 2020 the company will fly to Bacau in Romania.
The other destinations offered from Charleroi are Boedapest, Boekarest,
Chisinau, Cluj-Napoca, Craiova, Iasi, Ljubljana, Skopje, Sofia, Timisoara,
Tirana, Warschau and Vienna
 |
|
During
May 2020 the airport handled only 10.938 passengers (- 99% !!). Flights when
down from 21.055 to 2.855 (- 86.40%) The cargo transported on full-freighter
aircraft rose with 61.50% although the total volume still went down with 8.90 %.
This illustrates the importance of the scheduled passenger flights for the
transport of cargo. |
 On
Monday 15 june Brussels Airlines offers flights to nine destinations (Madrid,
Rome, Berlin, Marseille, Boedapest, Copenhagen, Lissabon, Praag and Vienna).
This is a very limited offer since the company was forced to stop all operations
12 weeks ago. The plan is to offer 59 destinations during the coming months.
(see news item dd 26.05.20) |
Canadian
low cost carrier Air Transat announced that it will not restart the service from
Montreal to Brussel this summer. The company will restart its operations on 23th
July but decided not to fly to 13 European destinations (including Brussel) this
summer.
A return of the company in 2021 is possible but not confirmed at this moment. |
Flights
are now possible with up to 10 people (from the same ‘bubble’). Landing away
from the homebase is possible again but PPR from the airfield involved is
mandatory. Flights abroad are still not allowed as the Belgian borders are still
closed till 15th June 2020.
Balloon flights become possible again but under the strict rules. Passengers
need to be part of the same ‘bubble’. If not, a plexi screen has to be installed
between the different groups. All passengers have to wear mouth masks and
gloves. They also have to confirm, before the flight, that they do not have any
Covid 19 symptoms. The pilot has to wear a mouth mask and a face-shield.
Para-jumping is still prohibited under the current rules. |
Regular
flights to Ibiza with a very limited number of passengers (30 to 42). Departing
from the G.A. terminal at Brussels Airport, more legroom and 25 kg luggage.
Bodson intends to start with a weekly service starting on 4th July using the
Embraer aircraft operated by the ASL Group as an answer to all the questions and
concerns that a lot of potential travelers have as a result of the Covid 19
pandemic. The price for a one-way ticket is around 495 euro. But…. you will have
your one seat our you will be sitting along a family-member or friend with good
food and a glas of champagne. A return to air travel in the late forties, early
fifties. |
 TUI
announced that it will restart its operations from Brussels Airport on 20 June.
First destination will be Dubrovnik followed by Faro one day later.
Operations from Antwerp Airport are planned to restart on 10 July. The company
plans to offer flights from Belgian airports to 72 different destinations from
17 July 2020! |
Starting
15 June, Brussels Airport will considerably increase its passenger flights for
all travel in the Schengen Area. The flight offer will increase progressively to
exceed one hundred destinations in July, thus restoring the connectivity with
Europe in a first stage and with part of the rest of the world in a later stage.
Thanks to the collaboration of the airlines and all of Brussels Airport’s other
partners, passengers will again enjoy the pleasure of travelling without stress
due to the implementation of numerous precautionary measures.
Good news! The Belgians and even most of the Europeans will again be allowed to
travel abroad. As the National Security Council announced on the 3rd of June
last, non-essential travel within Europe and the UK is again allowed, with a few
exceptions including Greece and Spain that will refuse travellers from Belgium
until the beginning of July. For Brussels Airport and its partners this means
that passenger activity can resume as of 15 June and, more importantly, that
travel to numerous European destinations is again possible. |
|
Wizz
Air is adding Tirana to its growing network out of Brussels South Charleroi
Airport. They are to open a new base at Tirana/Nënë Tereza and will base three
Airbus A.320 there. Tickets are available on www.wizzair.com |
Flying cargo, even with passenger aircraft, is a profitable business at
this moment.
Brussels
Airlines operates two Airbus A.330-300 aircraft on routes to China and several
African destinations including Conakry (Guinee) and Abidjan (Ivory Coast)
 Air
Belgium has 3 aircraft flying between Phnom Penh (Cambodja) and Brussels as well
as a route from Jinan (China) to Liège.
And
the two Boeing 787’s operated by Tui Fly are flying from Hannover to China and
Korea for several weeks already. |
|
Today
Brussels Airlines will fly a cargo only flight from Brussels to Qingdao (China).
A total of 3 flights are planned using an Airbus A.330-300. The company already
flew some cargo flights to African destination recently. |
|
Austrian
Airlines will restart its service to Brussel on 15 June 2020. The company will
use their smallest aircraft (DHC 8 Dash 8 and Embraer 195) at the start. When
the number of passengers rises again, the switch to the Airbus A.320 will be
made. |
Brussels Airlines plans to restart its commercial flights from Brussels
Airport on 15 June after a 12 weeks interruption. The company offers an adapted
and downsidze summer schedule wich will consist about 30% of the planned summer
schedule in Europe and 40% of the long-haul program.
The company plans to offer flights to 59 destinations in 33 countries by the end
of August.
In order to prepare for the planned restart, Brussels Airlines puts in place
measures to protect its customers and staff during the travel journey, such as
additional disinfection of the aircraft and the use of mouth masks. Several
other measures are being evaluated together with the authorities and aviation
experts.
 |
The Aviation Factory opened an office in the new business aviation
terminal operated by NSAC (North Sea Aviation Center) at Ostend Airport. Both
companies will join forces.
During the last 8 months of 2019 NSAC handled around 1.800 bizjets flights.
15% of the Aviation Factory’s total sales comes from the activities at Ostend
Airport.  |
Private
jet company ASL group recently introduced a new logo for the entire group.
“It's not just a logo. It's a brand” says CEO Philippe Bodson. “And we wanted
it to communicate a very clear and strong message to the world, especially in
these very challenging Covid-times. Not only does this new logo tells who we
are, it also tells what we do, how we do it and why we do it. It was a very
difficult and very long project. Our previous logo had a very strong visual
identity too, but it was ageing, and it wasn't really in line with our vision
anymore. ASL Group is a young, dynamic, efficient, fresh, and forward-looking
company. We aim for the best services and the best customer experience, and we
always aim for higher. This logo represents this vision. A very strong vision
and a promise for a brighter future for all the companies that compose our Group
today". |
|
As
from today the Belgian Air Force take the responsability to guard the Benelux
airspace till mid September 2020. As a result Belgian F.16 fighters based at
Florennes AFB are on 24/24 standby and can react within minutes should an
unidentied aircraft show intentions to enter the Benelux airspace. Before today
the Dutch Air Force took this responsability. |
After
more than 7 weeks of hibernation, Brussels Airlines has announced that they will
resume flights with a reduced network offer as from June 15th. Which destination
will be serviced will be communicated as soon as possible. |
During
the previous month, April 2020, the number of passengers declined with 99.30%.
Only 17.042 passengers passed through the airport. (6.672 departing and 10.370
arriving) A number that the airport handles in less than 1 day under normal
conditions.
The number of flight dropped with 88% till only 2.360 movements (including 1.466
cargo flights) |
Until
today all VFR activities are prohibited with the exception of a monthly
maintenance flight for each aircraft and some special activities (pipeline
control, medevac, …)
From Monday 11 May local VFR flights are allowed when flown solo or when the
passengers live under the same roof as the pilot.
Commercial activities, VFR as well as IFR, are possible again. Flight-training
organisations have to follow the same strict rules as driving schools. But
flight training (theoretical as well as practical) is possible again. |
|
The
Corona crisis has a positive impact on the cargo transported via Ostend airport.
During the first 4 months of 2020 the cargo volume rose by 53% to almost 10.000
tons. During April 2020 5.284 tons were handled (+ 186%).
More full freighter aircraft are active worldwide due to the stop of almost all
intercontinental passenger flights (and the cargo space available on these
aircraft) |
Transport
Minister Bellot has confirmed that the airport is considered a public space,
where the wearing of a face mask is strongly recommended but not mandatory.
Which is logical, considering the low number of passengers that currently pass
through the airport. Brussels Airport considers that the wearing of a face mask
can be made mandatory by the competent authorities prior to the increase in
passenger traffic in the weeks to come. As of 18 May and during the restart of
the airport, Brussels Airport will distribute face masks to all passengers and
staff. |
Wizz
Air is one of the first European companies to restart operations. Last Friday
the company offers the Wien to Eindhoven service again.
Today the company announced that they will offer a new Brussels South to Wien
service starting on 1 July 2020. The service will be flown 5 times per week.
Wizz Air already operates from Brussels South but. Wien is the first non
East-European destination in their schedule. |
The
Irish company CityJet announced the decision to close their Brussels hub.
CityJet operated several Bombardier CRJ’s for Brussels Airlines. This contract
was stopped several weeks ago at the start of the Covid 19 crisis.
90 people lose their job as a result of this decision. Cityjet offered AMCI
(Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, Insurance) operations to other airlines but
stopped all its activities due to severe financial problems. (source : De Tijd) |
|
In case you ran out of reading material this is an opportunity not to miss...
%20TABS%20-%20COVD-19%20Spring%20OD%20Adv_small.jpg) |
|
On
Wednesday 29 April 2020 the Belgian Air Force took delivery of their first
Falcon 7X bizjet. This aircraft gives the Air Force transatlantic capacity. The
aircraft, serial nr 4, is registered on the civil register as OO-LUM. It was
flown from Kortrijk to Melsbroek via touch and go’s at Kleine Brogel AFB and
Beauvechain AFB. It has been in a hangar with Luxaviation/Abelag Aviation at
Kortrijk Airport for several weeks where it was prepared for service. |
The Belgian C.A.A. extended the closure of the Belgian airspace till 18
May 2020 included. All the rules previously communicated remain in force. As a
result almost all General Aviation aircraft remain grounded.
Some pîlots become a little frustated as their Dutch colleagues are still able
to make VFR flights. This resulted in quite some activity in Dutch airspace
during the good weather period last week. |
In
the FBO (fixed-base operator) survey 2020 organised by Air International News
(AIN) Execujet Brussels (formally known as Abelag Aviation) takes the 23th place
in the ‘rest of the world’ section (excluding the U.S.A.)
Execujet Brussel is the only Belgian FBO in the list and received a 4.13 score.
(max is 5.00) This is 0.01 up compared to the previous survey.
Top European FBO is Farnborough Airport with a 4.67 score. (source AIN April
2020) |
|
In
a letter to the Belgian government Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr confirms the
commitment of the German group towards Brussels Airlines. At this moment
Brussels Airlines talks with the Belgian Government about financial support for
the company. They need a financial injection of around 290 milj. Euro in order
to survive the current Covid 19 crisis. In his letter the Lufthansa CEO stresses
the importance of the Lufthansa Group (including Austrian, Eurowings and
Brussels Airlines) in order to remain competitive on the market. Support from
the Belgian government will only be used to support Brussels Airlines. In the
past there has been some doubts about the intentions of the German management
with the Belgian national airline. The Lufthansa Group is, as ‘Star Alliance’
member, responsible for about 50% of the traffic at Brussels Airport. Other
major foreign carriers, also members of ‘Star Alliance’, may leave Brussels
Airport when Lufthansa Group is no longer involved in the Brussels Airlines
operations. |
Although
we face difficult and uncertain times for aviation, and passenger traffic is
almost at a standstill due to the corona crisis, Brussels Airport is also
looking to the future.
Brussels Airport is pleased to welcome the Danish airline Sun-Air of
Scandinavia, which flies in the colours of British Airways, from September
onwards. Sun-Air will start on 7 September with 10 flights a week between
Billund and Brussels. This will guarantee the connection between Brussels
Airport and the Danish LEGO-city. These flights will be operated with a Dornier
328Jet and you will find them under a British Airways number. |
|
The
chairman of the Aviapartner board, together with some other managers, bought the
company-shares from the American Investment fund H.I.G. Capital. As a result of
this transaction the company becomes Belgian again. The new owners did not wish
to comment on this transaction that was finalized at a moment that the aviation
industrie is in the worst crisis in history.
This may be the moment for the company to change name again and return to
Belgavia ?
(source : l’Echo) |
 Belgium’s
most important fly-in, the Schaffen Diest Oldtimer Fly-in, is cancelled due to
the Covid 19 crisis and the ban on major events issued by the federal government
till the end of August 2020. The next edition is planned for 13 – 15 August
2021. The Experimental Days will also skip their 2020 edition. They plan the
next event from 3 till 5 July 2021 at Leopoldsburg/Sanicole airfield. |
 Air
Antwerp announced initially their intention to restart the Antwerp to
London/City service on 4 May. Now they announced the intention not to fly till 1
June. Initially two roundtrips per day will be scheduled. CityJet, the major
shareholder of Air Antwerp, received protection against its creditors last
Friday. The company is in serious financial troubles. At this moment it is not
clear if this will have any impact on Air Antwerp. |
18/04/2020
Bizjets flights come to a standstill
Worldwide business jet flights dipped by as much as 79 percent in
the first two weeks of April compared tot he same period last year. Fractional
ownership felt more steeply than aircraft management and charter operations. In
the first half of April just under 1.000 bizjets were recorded operational
worldwide with more than 4.000 in the same period of 2019. It seems some
operators are offering a 10% discount on flights for smaller bizjets up to 44%
for the bigger aircraft !! (source Ainonline.com) |
16/04/2020
Changes in the SN Airholding board
Jan
Smets, former Governor of the the Belgian National Bank, became co-president of
the SN Airholding board. He replaces Etienne Davignon. Davignon kept this
position for 18 years but decided to step down as co-president. He remains a
member of the board. Former Brussels Airlines CEO Christina Foerster returns as
member of the SN Airholding |
15/04/2020
60% fewer passengers and 14.6% less cargo
Brussels
Airport remains open to connect Belgium to the rest of the world under the
safest conditions.
In March, fewer than 800,000 passengers travelled via Brussels Airport. A
considerable drop compared to nearly 2 million passengers in March 2019. The
corona virus caused numbers to drop week after week. The last week of March,
passenger figures showed a decline of 95%. A drop in demand was also noticeable
in cargo transport, which was 14.6% lower than the same month last year. Cargo
is crucial in these times for stocking our country, and thanks to air cargo,
essential products such as pharmaceuticals and medical products can be supplied
quickly. The total number of flights fell by 40%. |
14/04/2020
First Melsbroek based Airbus A.400M flies!
-1280x1280_small.jpg) Yesterday,
13th April, the first (and only) Airbus A.400M ordered by the Luxembourg Armed
Forces made its first flight from the Airbus production facility at Sevilla
(Spain)
-1280x1280_small.jpg) This
airframe (c/n 104) will be operated in a joint effort by the Belgian Air Force
and the Luxembourg Armed Forces. It will be based at Melsbroek AFB. when
delivered in the 2e quarter of this year.
|
12/04/2020
Belgian airspace remains closed for VFR-flight – latest news
The
Belgian C.A.A. adapted the regulations regarding the closure of the Belgian
airspace for VFR and training flights that is in force since 18 March 2020. Last
Friday they published a note that allows a monthly 1-hour local flight in order
to prevent extra wear or damage to aircraft engines as a result of the
inactivity of the aircraft involved. As a result, several light aircraft were
airborne on Saturday and others will certainly follow. |
10/04/2020
URSEL AVIA 2020 cancelled
This event, planned for 27 and 28 June 2020, is the next victim of Covid 19.
The team behind this event just announced that they had to cancel after
consultation of the local authorities.
They intend to organise the same event in 2021. An exact date is not known at
this moment. |
07/04/2020
Our publications are on the way....
 Although
we are forced to stay at home due to the corona virus, we are still operational.
The editorial staff has compiled your Aeronews of Belgium and BCARG publications
and they are now in print. Mailing is planned for 15/4/2020.
So you'll soon have something to keep you busy in these strange times. |
06/04/2020
Belgian airspace
remains closed for VFR flights
The closure of
the Belgian airspace for VFR and training flights that was issued on 18th March
remains in force till 19th April at 23.59 hrs.
Only Police, SAR and medevac flight are allowed as well as maintenance and
pipeline inspection. These rules also apply for remotely piloted aircraft
systems (= drones) |
|
04/04/2020
Lockheed Martin gets F.35 contract for delivery to Belgium
 De
U.S. Goverment accorded a few days ago a USD22.9 million contract to
Lockheed Martin. This is part of the agreement with the Belgian government,
worth USD 5,1 billion, for the delivery of 34 F.35A fighters. Deliveries are
planned from 2023 till 2030. |
03/04/2020
Emirates restarts
flights to Brussels Airport
 Next
Monday Emirates will restart its flights to four European destinations,
including Brussels. The company will offer three services each week using the
Boeing 777-300ER.
These are the first flights since the company stopped its operations last week.
Only passengers departing from Dubai are accepted as the country closed its
borders to foreign citizens.
The main reason for the restart of these flights is the large cargo capacity of
the Boeing 777. The rates for airfreight rose significantly because a large
number of passenger flights were stopped. This makes it profitable for the
airline to restart some services. |
|
03/04/2020
Sanicole Airshow 2020 cancelled
 Although
only planned in September of this year, the team behind the annual Sanicole
Airshow already decided to cancel this event for 2020. Bringing together more
than 40.000 people (35% from abroad) in the restricted area of the airfield is
nog a good idea says airshow director Geoffrey Buekenberghs.
The next edition is planned for 10 till 12 September 2021 ! |
02/04/2020
It should have been a good start...
 The
start of 2020 looked as promising as the end of 2019 with good occupation of all TUI and Air Antwerp flights.
However it all changed in the blink of an eye when frontiers closed and the
world came to a standstill and Air Antwerp and TUI were forced to keep their
aircraft on the ground. This also reflects on the monthly figures of March. What
should have been a magnificent first quarter is now reduced to an average one,
thanks to corona.
We saw a decline in March of 43,7% compared to the previous year (9.806 pax vs 17.433).
Nevertheless we have a small growth of 0.5% in the first quarter. |
01/04/2020
Government support for the TUI Group
The
German authorities announced that they will support the TUI Group with a 1,8
bilj. loan that must allow the company to survive the current Corona crisis.
The deal has to be confirmed by a group of financial institutions and the
company will not pay any dividends to the shareholders as long as this loan is
used.
This deal will normally also allow the Belgian branch of the TUI Group to
restart its operations after the Corona crisis is over. |
28/03/2020
Air Antwerp plans to restart flights on 4 May 2020
Air
Antwerp announced that they are working on a restart of their flights between
Antwerp Airport and London/City on Monday 4 May 2020. The company stopped its
operations since 22 March.
Customers who booked a seat on a flight between today and the planned restart
can change their reservation free of charge or cancel their booking.
Because of the fast changing situation Air Antwerp keeps his passengers informed
via
https://airantwerp.com/COVID-19-measures/COVID19 |
|
21/03/2020
Brussels South Charleroi airport closes down
 As
from next Wednesday 24 March 20 at 23.59 hrs Brussels South Charleroi Airport
will close the airport terminal for all passengers and airlines. This closure
will continue till, at least, 05 April 20.
Charleroi is the first Belgian airport tot take this decision after more than
90% of the booked passengers do not show up for their flight and the decision of
several European countries, including Belgium, to close the border for foreign
travelers. |
19/03/2020
Passenger numbers at Brussels Airport
During
February 2020, 1,738,988 passengers passed through Brussels Airport, which
represents a 6% rise compared to the same month last year. This growth is seen
both in the number of originating passengers and in the number of transfer
passengers. It is worth pointing out however that February 2019 witnessed a
nationwide strike on 13 February which kept all aircraft on the ground. February
2020 in turn had an extra day (29/02) as well as the mid-term break, which in
last year fell in March. Which to a large extent explains last month’s results.
As such, the result for February as a whole is lower than forecasted. Without
the effect of the leap day and the mid-term break, growth would have been
negative. March points towards a substantial decline in passenger numbers, duet
o the Corona crisis. |
18/03/2020
Temporary suspension of flights
Due
to the Corona virus, Brussels Airlines has decided to suspend all flights
between March 21st and April 19th, 2020.
Air
Antwerp announces that they will suspend their Antwerp-London City route from
March 22nd till April 10th, 2020.
We do hope that the companies survive this setback in already difficult
times and that all personnel can return to their jobs in good health. |
|
09/03/2020
New sales for Sonaca 200 trainer
 An
accredited training organization (member of the Swiss Flight School Association,
Swiss PSA), Aero Locarno has chosen the Sonaca 200 to complete and renew its
fleet of training aircraft. Following a comparative study, Aero Locarno decided
to choose Sonaca Aircraft's two-seater single-engine aircraft. “The Sonaca
200 clearly stands out from the crowd!” bluntly stated Stefano Buratti, Aero
Locarno CEO. “With its aluminum structure, the Sonaca 200 is a robust and
easy-to-repair trainer aircraft. Stable and agile, the aircraft proved to be
easy to fly even in turbulent conditions. The Sonaca 200 is a spacious and
comfortable aircraft with optimal visibility on board. We have found our new
aircraft for basic training!”.
Aero Locarno is Sonaca Aircraft’s first Swiss customer. “We are convinced
that the Sonaca 200 has its rightful place in Switzerland" said Pierre Van
Wetter, Chief Commercial Officer of Sonaca Aircraft “The engine and high
rates of climb are particularly well suited to mountain flying, regardless of
the aircraft's payload.” |
04/03/2020
Excellent results for Antwerp Airport
February
2020 was a very good month for Antwerp Airport. 18.827 passengers used the
airport, a rise with 22.20% compared to the same month in 2019.
These good results were achieved thanks to the Antwerp to London/City service
operated by Air Antwerp and the very good results on the TUI Fly service to
Innsbruck. This destination is very popular with people who like to spend their
holiday in the snow.
The results could have even been better, but the winterstorms during two
weekends in February resulted in some diverted flights and even some
cancellations. The Airport management remains vigilant regarding the coming
months. The Corona virus will, almost certainly, result in a reduced number of
passengers. |
12/02/2020
New ownership for Sabca
 The
Belgian aviation company Sabca has new owners. Sabena Aerospace and FPIM bought
the company from Dassault Aviation for 75 mil. Euro’s. FPIM the an investment
company controlled by the Belgian government. Sabena Aerospace will have 50% + 1
share in this new joint-venture. |
|
08/01/2019
Good results for Air Antwerp
Air
Antwerp is flying the Antwerp – London/City route for four months now. During
this period the company carried almost 15.000 passengers with their single
Fokker 50. During December 2019 the company transported 4.179 passengers. That
is a number that VLM never achieved in the past. Air Antwerp plans to have
around 50.000 passengers per year.
At this moment the company offers 16 return flights per week between Antwerpen
and London/City. There are three services on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and
Friday and two daily flights on Tuesday and Sunday.
With only 15 employees Air Antwerp is one of the smallest airlines in Europe. |
03/01/2020
Air Belgium
will fly for LOT
The Polish
national airline LOT announced the lease of two Air Belgium A.340 aircraft
during the first 10 months of 2020. The aircraft will be used on the Warschau to
Toronto service. The deal also includes not only the aircraft but also the (Air
Belgium) crew.
The two other Air Belgium A.340’ s are used on their own services to Guadeloupe
and Martinique. Also Surinam Airways regularly uses an Air Belgium aircraft on
their service between Paramaribo and Amsterdam/Schiphol. |
02/01/2020
Best year ever for Antwerp Airport
During
2019 some 306.330 passengers found their way through Antwerp Airport. This is an
all time high and a confirmation that Antwerp airport is worth investing in.
On time performance (OTP) in Antwerp is 98,3%, which ranks it among the best
performing airports in Europe.
Congratulations to all personnel, crews and management for their continuing
efforts. |
24/12/2019
More Icelandair Cargo flights at Liège-Bierset
Icelandair
signed a contract with Fedex and TNT regarding their parcel shipments to and
from Iceland. The new contract starts early January 2020.
As a result,
Icelandair Cargo will fly up to seven times per week to Liège-Bierset. This
airport is a major European hub for Fedex and TNT. |
|
17/12/2019
Additional Air Antwerp flight on Sunday
Starting
on 22 December Air Antwerp will offer a second flight between Antwerp Airport
and London/City on Sunday. Air Antwerp noticed that the demand for seats on
Sunday is higher than expected. With this additional service the company hopes
to reach more customers who visited family or friends as well as
business-travelers going to Antwerp or London on Sunday in order to start
working early the next morning.
During the the Christmas period the 14.15hr flight will not be flown on Tuesday. |
15/12/2019
Transavia flights (2)
Transavia
announced earlier that it will offer flights from Brussels Airport during the
coming summerseason. Destinations will be Alicante and Ibiza in Spain, Verona in
Italy, Corfu, Heraklion and Thessaloniki in Greece, as well as Tel Aviv, Agadir
and Faro. The
company will offer a total op 28 flights per week. |
|
12/12/2019
Transavia offers flights from Brussels Airport
Starting
with the coming summerseason Air France/KLM daughter Transavia will offer nine
routes from Brussels Airport. It was expected that the airline would base some
aircraft at Brussels and so open a base at the airport. But this rumour was
denied by the company. |
11/12/2019
New CEO at Brussels Airlines
Dieter
Vranckx has been appointed new CEO of Brussels Airlines. He will also be Chief
Commercial Officer of the company. Dieter will start in his new function on
January 1st, 2020. |
24/11/2019
TUI Fly will
restart service to Miami
Starting
on 4 april 2020 TUI fly will offer again a twice weekly service between Brussel
and Miami (Florida) using a Boeing 787. These flight will be operated on Tuesday
and Saturday. TUI Fly already flew the same route earlier this year but stopped
on 1 September 2019. |
12/11/2019
Government funding of Antwerp Airport
The
European Commission has no objections against government funding of Antwerp and
Ostend airport. They consider the funding as good for the development of the
citizens mobility and the development of the Flemish region.
The airport offers jobs to more than 1.000 people.
Between 2014 and 2018 the number of passengers has risen from 121.357 to
298.403. |
|
07/11/2019
Brussels Airlines has to reduce costs
Brussels
Airlines has to reduce the costs with about 160 milj. Euros per year against
2022. That is about 10% of the annual costs. In order to achieve this goal the
company announced that they will try to become a smaller, more profitable
airline. The impact of this decision on the workforce, the fleet and the current
routes is not clear at this moment.
All this effort must result in an 8% profit from 2022.
Austrian Airlines,
another Lufthansa-daughter, has to perform the same type of exercise in order to
realise a reduction of the costs with (only) 90 milj. Euros per year.
|
28/10/2019
New route for Ryanair at Charleroi airport
As
from today, Ryanair will connect Brussels South/Charleroi airport with Tel Aviv.
The service will be flown on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday with Boeing
737-800. Tickets available on:
www.ryanair.com |
26/10/2019
Air Antwerp - KLM code share
Air
Antwerp has signed a codeshare contract with KLM for the routes between
Amsterdam and Manchester, Newcastle and Heathrow. Flights will be executed by
KLM but Air Antwerp WP code will also be applied and can be booked via their
website. This way Air Antwerp can expand its income base without further costs. |
25/10/2019
Daily service to Malaga from Antwerp
As
from the Easter holidays, TUI will fly daily services from Antwerp to Malaga. In
2015 the company announced a twice weekly schedule and now 5 years later the
frequency rises to 7 times. It the company's first destination ever that is
flown daily out of Antwerp. |
15/10/2019
New record for Antwerp Airport
34.732
passengers used the airport during September (some 10.000 more than during
September 2018). This increase is due to some new routes flown by TUI and of
course the start of Air Antwerp on the new Antwerp-London City service.
Another positive note : 97,7% of the flights departed on their scheduled time. |
09/10/2019
Daily flights to Kinshasa
As
from last week, Brussels Airlines is again flying daily to Kinshasa. The company
also introduces its new Premium Economy class on its African routes.
Brussels Airlines perform 84 weekly flights to 17 African countries. |
|
26/09/2019
Brussels Airlines suffers from Thomas Cook collapse.
As
a result the the collapse of the Thomas Cook Group, Brussels Airlines announced
that it will cancel 105 flights planned for Oktober 2019. Although the Belgian
Thomas Cook branch works hard on a restart, all planned and booked holidays and
flights were cancelled.
Rhodos, Djerba and Enfidha will disappear as destinations. Flights to other
holiday destinations will be reduced. Brussels Airlines will look for
alternative solutions for about 3.500 passengers who booked seats on the
cancelled flights via other sources. This situation will definitely impact the
plans Brussels Airlines made in order the achieve a 8% profit. This is part of
the deal with Lufthansa when they allowed the company to continue as an
independant airline earlier this year. |
|
20/09/2019
Emirates present in Belgium for 5 years
Emirates
celebrates 5 years of acitivity at Brussels Airport. They started in 2014. Today
they offer two flights each day between Brussels and Dubai using Boeing 777-300
ER aircraft. The first flight (EK184) leaves Brussels at 15.05 hrs and arrives
at Dubai at 23.40 hrs local time. The second flight (EK182) starts at21.45 hrs
local time and arrives the next morning at 06.15 hrs in Dubai. During these 5
years the company flew around 1.2 milj. Passengers on this route.
Emirates Cargo transported more than 128.000 tons from and to Belgium. Since
January 2018 the company flew around 4.000 tons of pharmaceutical cargo to and
from Brussels Airport. The company also flew 80 special ‘horses-cargo’ flights
into Liège/Bierset airport carrying 3.500 animals.
The company has 230 Belgian
employees, including 88 pilots and 23 flight attendants. 38 of these pilots fly
on the Airbus A.380. |
|
16/09/2019
KLM reduces flights to Brussels
 KLM
will reduce the number of daily flights between Amsterdam and Brussels from five
to four. KLM stated that it will promote the Thalys train for the trip between
these two cities. Rumour has it that KLM needs the slot at Schiphol airport for
an additional long-haul flight. |
16/09/2019
Air Belgium will fly to Martinique
Starting
on 7 December Air Belgium will start a scheduled service from Charleroi/Brussels
South to Martinique. This flights will be operated by the Airbus A.340’s
operated by Air Belgium. There will be two return flights each week.
In the past the company tried to start a scheduled service to Hong Kong but
these flight where stopped very soon after the start. Martinique seems to be a
popular destination for holiday-makers who book their trips via travel agencies
in the French speaking part of the country. |
20/05/2019
Air Antwerp has been founded
In
Antwerp a new airline has been founded by the Dutch KLM and the Irish CityJet.
Air Antwerp, as the company is called plans to operate one Fokker 50 out of
Antwerp to three different destinations, of which one is London City. If all
goes as planned, services could start in the second half of 2019.
We wish the company all the best. |
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Today
NHV group announced it has signed a five-year contract extension with Ithaca
Energy (UK) Limited, providing aviation services to the Ithaca Energy Group’s
operated FPF-1 installation, Alba, Captain and Erskine fields in the Scottish
North Sea. The extension covers seven day-a-week coverage out of Aberdeen and
will start in January 2021. NHV will provide two Airbus H175 (primary + back-up)
aircraft for this operation. 
Eurocontrol
gives very interesting info on their website regarding the decline of airline
traffic over Belgium and our neighboring countries. Traffic over Belgium went
down with as much as 85%
Abu
Dhabi based Etihad Airways announced that it will restart flights to several
European destinations, including Brussels. Abu Dhabi offers passengers that are
blocked in Abu Dhabi due to the Covid 19-restrictions the possibility to go
home. But, the main raison for the restart is the cargo business, especially the
transport of fresh products.
Early
April bizjet operator A.S.L. started the ground work for the construction of
their new hangar and G.A.T. terminal at Liège/Bierset Airport. This is a major
project for this company that is also finishing a new hangar at Antwerp Airport.
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On
beha
Aerocircular,
the company that dismantled the last VLM Fokker 50 at Antwerp, is to build a new
hall at Ostend airport.After completion of the first fase (the construction of
the concrete carrying surface), Aerocircular will construct a steel fabric
structural hall of 4500 sqm where two narrow body aircraft can be placed at the
same time and dismantled indoors. The goal is to dismantle 25 aircraft per year.
Air
Portugal announced that it will start a twice daily service between Brussels
Airport and Porto from 1 July 2019. The morning flight will leave at 11.10 hrs
local time. The evening connection at 21.45 hrs. All flights will be operated
with Embraer Emb.190 aircraft.
In
2018 skeyes, the national air navigation service provider,
guided 1,101,145 aircraft in the Belgian airspace and at the
Belgian airports. For the first time in history skeyes
managed more than 600,000 overflights above our country and
Luxembourg. All together more than 34 million passengers and
around 1.6 million tons of cargo are concerned. Those too
are record numbers.
