Brussels Airport

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Brussels Airport
Luchthaven Zaventem
Aéroport de Zaventem

IATA: BRU – ICAO: EBBR
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator The Brussels Airport Company
Serves Brussels
Location Zaventem
Elevation AMSL 184 ft / 56 m
Coordinates 50°54′05″N 004°29′04″E / 50.90139, 4.48444
Website www.brusselsairport.be
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
02/20 2,987 9,800 Asphalt
07R/25L 3,211 10,535 Asphalt
07L/25R 3,638 11,936 Asphalt
Source: Belgian AIP at EUROCONTROL
The terminal
The terminal

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, European Air Transport, Jet Airways, Singapore Airlines Cargo, Eva Air Cargo and Saudia Arabian Cargo. It is also a hub for a private company called Abelag Aviation

The airport is home to around 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, its main characteristics are: European, Welcoming and Efficient.

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

Contents

The airport was constructed during World War II by the German occupying force. There is an urban legend that the site of the airport in Zaventem was chosen by the Germans after asking locals where to build it - the Belgians then pointed to this location as it was often foggy.

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

In 1955, a train line connecting Brussels with the airport was constructed. 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 the national airline 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.

A new 'low-cost airlines' pier will be completed before the end of 2009. It will be built in place of the old south pier. At present, several low-cost airlines including Ryanair and Wizzair fly to "Brussels South Airport", actually located in Charleroi, 40km away from Brussels.[1]

Runways; 07L - 25R (3638 metres) 07R - 25L (3211 metres) and 02 - 20 (2984 metres)
Runways; 07L - 25R (3638 metres) 07R - 25L (3211 metres) and 02 - 20 (2984 metres)

The only serious accident in the vicinity of the airport was the crash of a Sabena Boeing 707 on 15 February 1961. The plane crashed during approach, killing all 72 people on board and one on the ground. [2]

On 29 August 1998 the landing gear of an Brussels bound A340-211 (OO-SCW Flight SN542 New-York - Brussels) of SABENA collapsed during the landing. The right horizontal stabilizer was destroyed.

Four aircraft were destroyed on 5 May 2006 when Sabena Technics' Hangar 40 burned out. The stricken aircraft were one Lockheed C-130 Hercules (Belgian Air Force) and three Airbus A320 (Armavia, Armenian International Airways and Hellas Jet).

The following airlines used to fly to/from BRU, but discontinued their service (Incomplete list):

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

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Belgian airports
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels_Airport"
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