Breaking news: end of nightflights at BRU during weekend

[Atlantis]

As from March next year, there will be no nightflights at Brussels Airport during the weekend.

Number of nightflights are going down from 25.000 to 16.000 flights a year. The "nighthours" will be the same 23/24h till 06H.

More info later.

[Conti764]

Accept charters, does this influence regular carriers at BRU? I guess Aeroflot will have to adjust it's departure time at the airport, but besides them?

[744rules]

Probably a few scheduled cargo flights will be affected.

@Atlantis, are you talking local time or UTC ?

[Outsync]

Does this include landings aswell? Otherwise I can see this turn out real catastrophic!

[jan_olieslagers]

@Atlantis, are you talking local time or UTC ?

As I understood the news broadcast on VRT radio, it is local time. Seems this is the price our minister is paying to the NIMBY's for getting rid of Bertje's disastrous "dispersion plan" ("spreidingsplan") - from now on, runway usage will be decided in function of meteorological conditions only. It is very rare, but it would seem we can for once cheer our Belgian government!

[Atlantis]

Probably a few scheduled cargo flights will be affected.

@Atlantis, are you talking local time or UTC ?

It's local time and as far as I can see only for departures.

[jan_olieslagers]

Departures only, as confirmed on http://deredactie.be/cm/de.redactie/pol ... htvluchten (an official news source, in Dutch)

[LX-LGX]

Friday night : 01h00-06h00
Saturday night : 00h00-06h00
Sunday : 00h00-06h00

it's not a total curfew, thus excluding take off's for military flights, medical flights, government flights

[airazurxtror]

The government having just resigned, the accord might be null ... bad luck !

[LX-LGX]

Finally : only Belgocontrol will decide which runway will have to be used - and wind direction will be their only guide line.

Secretary of State Etienne Schouppe is not going to improve the dispertion plans from his famous (!) precessors Landuyt and Anciaux: he's throwing the dispertion plans away.

The government having just resigned, the accord might be null ... bad luck !

Resigning ministers are allowed to take decisions in "current matters" (lopende zaken). This is a minor (*) decision - thus not te be done through a new law.

(*) minor decision : there's much blablabla about it, but it remains a very basic decision.

[Atlantis]

Accept charters, does this influence regular carriers at BRU? I guess Aeroflot will have to adjust it's departure time at the airport, but besides them?

I don't see a direct problem for Aeroflot except when they would have a delay. But they can maybe ask an other slot?

The real problem would be DHL. Sunday evening and Monday morning are very busy hours. How are they going to handle. Departing before 24h?

Also the B747-200 is not longer welcome AT DAY as from summer 09. This will affect Kalitta, Atlas Air, Cargo B. But some of them are already taking measures: Cargo B is going to send their 2 B747-200 back to the lessors and is going to add a second B744 at the beginning of 2009 and Africa West Cargo is going to use a B747-400 for their flights to/from Lomé. This means that Kalitta is the only one who is a big question. With daily three to four planes on the tarmac and only a few B747-400 in their fleet or they must decide to send their old planes to LGG and only flying their B744 to BRU.

[Airbus A330]

Saudi Arabian Cargo also uses the Boeing 747-200F

[Atlantis]

Correct Airbus A330 They use both: B742 and 744. I think that they will give those airlines the time to chance things. As far as I can read the documents the date of implement this is not fixed. Main goal is to start at the beginning of the new summer schedule of 09. They are going to do this step by step.

[Acid-drop]

Any link to this doc ?
I have never heard about it before.

[Atlantis]

Any link to this doc ?
I have never heard about it before.

I'm speaking here about a governmental document.

Behind the scenes we, a few organisations on the airport (a mix of several cargo and pax companies), are working together with the government (federal and Flemisch) and this on different segments. And this after our long working days.

[Andries]

This means that Kalitta is the only one who is a big question. With daily three to four planes on the tarmac and only a few B747-400 in their fleet or they must decide to send their old planes to LGG and only flying their B744 to BRU.

Here in Ostend, for several days already, we've had some Kalitta's comming in, sometimes up to 3 a day. Looks like they're already shifting airport.

Greetz

Andries

[OO-JFP]

Here in Ostend, for several days already, we've had some Kalitta's comming in, sometimes up to 3 a day. Looks like they're already shifting airport.

Andries,

noticed it as well on teletekst.
However I have my doubts if the shift is from BRU to OST.
Last Friday I saw 4 of them in BRU.
I took a look at the schedule from Kalitta and it looks more a shift from Liege to OST.
http://www.kalittaair.com/
Don't know if it's just temporary ...

OO-JFP

[Acid-drop]

it looks more a shift from Liege to OST.

Indeed ...
Very strange.

[LX-LGX]

The government having just resigned, the accord might be null ... bad luck !

Etienne Schouppe remains the federal minister for Transport in the new government, sworn in today.

Parliament hasn't been dismissed during this mini political crisis, so there's no influence at all for previous decisions.

[Ducatibiker]

This is good news indeed. By the way the government of Namur should not be forgotten. This problem concerns the inhabitants of Brabant Wallon as well. In the past few days, the situation was just unbearable.