Brussels Airport

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Brussels Airport
IATA: BRU - ICAO: EBBR
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator The Brussels Airport Company
Serves Brussels, Belgium
Elevation AMSL 190.29 ft (58 m)
Coordinates 50°54′28″N, 4°29′9″E
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
2/20 9,800 2,987 Asphalt
7R/25L 10,535 3,211 Asphalt
7L/25R 11,936 3,638 Asphalt

Brussels Airport (IATA: BRU, ICAO: EBBR) (also called in Dutch : Luchthaven Zaventem or in French: Aéroport de Zaventem), also Zaventem Airport or Brussels (Zaventem) International Airport, was formerly known as "Brussel Nationaal / Bruxelles-National" (Brussels National). It is an international airport located in Zaventem, in Flanders, near Brussels, Belgium. The airport is a hub to Brussels Airlines and European Air Transport.

The airport harbors about 260 companies, together directly employing 20.000 people.

In 2005, the airport was awarded Best Airport in Europe by ACI/IATA, based on a survey conducted with over 100.000 passengers, worldwide.

The airport received an official name on 19 October 2006 : Brussels Airport, Welcome to Europe. According to the airport operator, it's main characteristics are : European, Welcoming and Efficient.

The Airport operating company is known as "The Brussels Airport Company N.V./S.A." ; before October 19, 2006, the name was BIAC (Brussels International Airport Company).


Contents

[edit] History

The airport was created during World War II by the German occupying force. There is an urban legend about the airport creation in Zaventem. According to this legend, the Germans would have built the airport after asking locals what was the best place to build it, and Belgians then would have pointed them this location because they knew it was an often foggy place.

After the German occupation, the Belgian army took control over the airport. When the old civil airport in Haren became too small, it was decided to use the terrains in Zaventem as the new national airport. By 1948, a new terminal building was constructed to replace the old wooden building.

In 1955, a trainline connecting Brussels with the airport was inaugurated by King Baudouin. A direct train link with Leuven and Liège was opened on December 12, 2005. A link with Antwerp will be completed in 2010. In April 1957, construction started of the new terminal, preparing the airport for the 1958 World Fair. During the boom of commercial aviation in the 1960's and 1970's, several hangars were constructed. A new cargo terminal was constructed in 1976. In 1994, a brand new terminal was constructed adjacent to the old 1958 building. Two old piers were torn down and replaced by modern ones. In 2002, amidst the turmoil engulfing the demise of Sabena, a new pier was opened. This Pier A is destined to support flights from and to the Schengen treaty countries.

In 2005, the airport served 16.2 million passengers, an increase of 3.5% over 2004. The cargo volume in the same year amounted to 702,819 tonnes, an increase of 5.8% over 2004.

Sabena's demise meant a sharp fall in passenger traffic, a blow the airport only slowly recovered from. The airport's future is threatened by disagreement between the governments of Flanders and the Brussels Capital Region concerning nocturnal air traffic routes.

Brussels Airport is operated by The Brussels Airport Company, formerly known as BIAC (Brussels International Airport Company), which was created by Belgian law through a merger of BATC with the ground operations departments of the RLW/RVA.

The only serious accident in the vicinity of the airport was the crash of a Sabena Boeing 707 on February 15, 1961. The plane crashed during approach, killing all 72 people on board and one on the ground. [1]

[edit] Passenger Airlines

The following airlines have scheduled services to Brussels (as of October 2006):

[edit] Defunct airlines

Defunct airlines with a homebase at Brussels (incomplete list):

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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