Best summer ever for Antwerp and Ostend-Bruges Airports

The airports of Ostend-Bruges and Antwerp welcomed a record number of travellers during the summer months of July and August

July and August 2017 counted 53,548 passengers for Antwerp airport, an increase of 21.9% compared to the summer months in 2016. Airport Ostend-Bruges recorded an increase of 27.7% in the summer months July and August compared to the same period in 2016, representing 106,090 passengers.

The increase in the number of passengers is mainly due to the new destinations and additional capacity of TUI flights which are certainly popular with the holidaymakers. The increase for both airports shows that regional airports are gaining importance and that travellers are finding it easier to get to these airports. Affordable parking, fast check-in, easy accessibility and proximity also play an important role in the decision-making process of travellers.

Dirk Van Holsbeke, General Manager TUI says: “Each year we see an increasing enthusiasm for the regional airports of Ostend and Antwerp at TUI.  The accessibility, the small scale, the cosy atmosphere and renovated income hall offer a very pleasant and relaxed start for our travellers “

In order to optimize passenger comfort, new departure halls were built earlier this year at both airports. Travellers can now use various food and beverage facilities both before and after security, which further enhances the passenger experience at these airports.

Check out our new website!

Renewed airports require new websites. After thorough renovation works of the departure halls earlier this year, the websites of Ostend-Bruges and Antwerp airport have now also received an exhaustive metamorphosis.

The new websites have been built to make it as user-friendly as possible for the surfer. The traveler now receives updated flight hours and detailed information about the airport, airlines and destinations. Various handy travel tips can also easily be found on the website, such as information for passengers with reduced mobility, information about luggage allowance and the rights of airline passengers in case of delay or cancellation. Both websites also received an up-to-date photo gallery and a section for statistics.

The websites are available in 3 languages ​​(Dutch, French and English). The look and feel is in line with the overall branding which is also reflected in the renewed signalization at the airports.

Marcel Buelens, CEO Antwerp & Ostend-Bruges Airport, aims to create a more pleasant and comfortable online environment for both airports: “The airports of Antwerp and Ostend-Bruges have seen many positive developments over the past two years, our websites could not be left behind as they are an important link between the users and our company. So I’m very excited to see both websites live today “.

The new websites were developed together with Egis by the agency Rouge Vif in Paris. The websites of the 17 airports that are part of the Egis Airport Operations will eventually all have the same look and feel and structure.

Discover our brand new websites www.ostendairport.aero and www.antwerpairport.aero.

Traffic figures August 2017

Comparison between August 2017 and August 2016

Passengers

54,390 in August 2017 compared to 43,422 in August 2016 (+25.3%)

Movements
2,431 in August 2017 compared to 3,098 in August 2016 (-21.5%)

Freights/tons
1,070 tons in August 2017 compared to 1,005 tons in August 2016 (+6.5%)

Marcel Buelens elected “Personality of the Year”

During the yearly Night of the SME’s Flanders (Small and Medium Enterprises) hosted in the Hilton Hotel Antwerpen, Marcel Buelens was rewarded with the “Personality of the Year” award. A total of 7 awards were handed out to enterprises and individuals who made a substantial contribution to the economy (today and tomorrow).

Since Marcel Buelens’ arrival as CEO, Antwerp International Airport has realized an impressive and sustainable passenger growth of +128%, attracted TUI as new client and added many new routes.
Mr. Buelens was elected by the members because of his “enormous efforts to revitalise Antwerp International Airport”.

In his first reaction Marcel Buelens declared: ‘This is a wonderful surprise! I wish to dedicate the trophy to the fantastic staff of Antwerp- and Ostend Airport who put in so much effort -night and day- to develop the regional airports of the future. “

New departure hall

The passenger terminal of the airport of Ostend-Bruges has been upgraded. The impact of the attacks of 22 March 2016 at regional airports and the increasing demand of passengers to depart from regional airports has lead to major investments. The exterior of the terminal is renovated and € 1.000.050 has been invested in a new airside departure hall.

The security zone has been extended, a VIP lounge was created and passengers on airside are able to enjoy several catering and shopping facilities. The airport joined forces with Erasmus Catering Services, based in Rotterdam. A company with almost 80 years of experience in the catering world, both airline catering services as well as pubs and restaurants.

This include an additional conveyor belt for the luggage of passengers. “If you only have one and it does not work, then you have a problem,” said CEO Marcel Buelens.

Ostend-Bruges among the World’s best airport!

Belgian consumer organization rates 178 airports.
Belgian consumer organization Test-Aankoop invited over 11.000 passengers to rate airports they have used for their recent travels. Antwerp and Ostend-Bruges received exceptional ratings for quality.

Among all Belgian airports, the airports situated in Flanders received the highest average scores. Antwerp was even elected into the world’s top 5 after Singapore Changi, Tokyo Narita, Porto and before Doha International Airport. Both airports realized substantial better scores than most airports in the survey, especially in terms of sense of security, signage and security check.

The consumer organisation attributes also excellent ratings to Ostend-Bruges Airport by granting 4 stars. The participating passengers assigned 8 points for signage, 7,7 for security check and 8 for the general sense of safety at the Airport.

ANTONOV 124

In September Ostend-Bruges Airport welcomed one of world’s largest aircraft; the ANTONOV 124 during its ferry flights above Belgian airspace.

TUIfly launches new destination to Turkey

TUIfly has announced its 20th destination from Ostend-Bruges Airport. Since 6th April 2017, TUIfly chartered 2 flights a week to Eskisehir in Turkey. There is a large Turkish community living in Belgium of which 65% originate from this region.

Apron 3 inaugurated

At Ostend Airport we recently renovated Apron 3. This Apron will be used by flight training schools and also for General Aviation users. Ostend-Bruges Airport has been a popular stopover for traffic between UK and the European continent for many years now. The airport is an interesting alternative for General Aviation; it is ideally located for refueling and filling in immigration forms as it is often the first point of entry in the Schengen zone. But Ostend Airport is not only interesting as point of transit, Ostend, Bruges and Flanders Fields offer many touristic opportunities for General Aviation visitors.
The new apron 3 was officially inaugurated during a press and network event on the 21st October.