The future of BRU: the new CEO Van Assche speaks

[Boeing747-nurse]

And maybe Nationwide, in South-Africa, is also one of this airlines to open a route to Capetown.
I've just visited their site, and at this moment they have 1 long-haul plane ( Boeing 767-300 ) . I think they use it for their LGW route.

[Buzz]

Why would a LCC generate less income for the airport ??

All costs from the airlines towards the airport remain the same as for all carriers.
These are :
-landing fees (based on MTOW)
- fees for use of airport facilities
- airport taxes (these are paid by the passenger)
-fuel
All other costs or cost-saving measures are the things that make a LCC a LCC, such as service to the pax (both on the ground as in the air), costs for checkin, bags handling, catering, ticketing facilities ,.....

In my opinion, stimulating thses carriers creates a win-win situation for both the airline as the airport.

w

They are not saying they don't want LCC,s, the just don't get any discounts...

[Atlantis]

They are talking with airlines about opening a route to Bangkok and Capetown ( see article ).

Which airlines could that be?

SAA?
THAY AIRWAYS?
Or another one...?

The airlines are:

Bangkok: Thai Airways; they are looking at Europe to open more and new flights

Capetown: probably Nationwide

Tokio: ANA; they are looking for new slots in Europe

India: Jet Airways; BRU is on top of their list when they received their new long haul. The new aircrafts are expected begin 2007.

[LJ]

There are some LCC @ Bru : Virgin Express , Vueling .
New LCC's this year : SkyEurope , Smartwings , Condor.

So some LCC seems to be interested in BRU, even with the high fees they have to pay.

However compared to surrounding aiports (except FRA and LHR) the LCC scene at BRU is very mediocre, and I sometimes doubt Virgin Express can be seen as a LCC.

Am I the only one who thinks more LCC = more pax = more people need to eat (or drink) at the airport (as you don't want those sandwiches served onboard) = higher lease rates = more profit? Furthermore, more pax = more prestige = happy management. I somewhere read AMS follows this line of reasoning and to be honest, it doesn't sound strange, does it?

[Boeing747-nurse]

Thank's for the info, Atlantis

[Atlantis]

It's officialy confirmed by CEO Van Assche that they have talks with Thai Airways. With Jet Aiways we know that already for a long time.

The search of a new name for the airport of BRU is in hands of a commercial office in Antwerp. According to Van Assche: Brussels Airport is a good name.

Later this year there will be also a new site.

[airazurxtror]

The search of a new name for the airport of BRU is in hands of a commercial office in Antwerp. According to Van Assche: Brussels Airport is a good name.
.

A most unexpected and highly original name !
Is an expert commercial office (paid a few tens of thousand euros, I guess) really needed to call Brussels airport ... "Brussels Airport" ?

[teach]

Is an expert commercial office (paid a few tens of thousand euros, I guess) really needed to call Brussels airport ... "Brussels Airport" ?

Yeah, I could have thought of that name for at least half the price!

Thai huh? Interesting, very interesting...

[Lukas_Ridgeston]

They are also looking for a new logo and name for BRU. The name BIAC will be disappear.

What Van Assche meant by this, was that the name/brand of the airport should be made stronger: BIAC is the name of the company which sells a product. This product is Brussels airport. Therefore, on the website, the promotion material, etc, the brand/name of the airport should be in the picture, not "BIAC", which is merely the company name. (cfr: you see adverts for "Pringles", not for "Proctor&Gamble")

Therefore, the company name will stay the same ("BIAC"), but the product name is subject to a lot of confusion: some people/press/travel agents will call it "Zaventem" (which is the name of a town, not the name of an airport), others call it "Nationale Luchthaven", etc.

Example: if you are driving to BRU from Brussels city centre, the signs point you to "Brussel-Nationale Luchthaven/Bruxelles Aéroport Nationale", but as soon as you leave the Brussels Region and enter Flanders, the signs say "Zaventem (with a pictogram of an aircraft)"

Lack of branding means: BRU is not the "airport of choice", and potential passengers are easily tempted by other offers...

At a recent travel fair in Brussels, the BRU stand was branded "BIAC/Brussels Airport", and some passers by actually thought it was the stand of Charleroi airport...

A lot of work still needs to be done on this!

[Airbuspilot]

Qatar airways has been considering EBBR since a long time. The problem untill now was lack of equipment ( No A330s available).

We receive an average of one A330/month but they are all being dispatched as soon as they come of line.

Problem with EBBR is as well that its one of the most expensive airports regarding landing tax.

Anyway, I have a feeling that it wont be too long before we open a route to EBBR. QR positions itself, as EK and EY, as THE airline to travel with to the far east and africa.

I do hope we open that line...would be great for me.

Anyone any news about a reservation of slots or a business plan being filed on behalf of QR in EBBR?

[sn26567]

Example: if you are driving to BRU from Brussels city centre, the signs point you to "Brussel Nationaal/Bruxelles National" with the pictogram of an aircraft, but as soon as you leave the Brussels Region and enter Flanders, the signs say "Zaventem (with a pictogram of an aircraft)"

...which is a big mistake. For Antwerp airport, the same Flemish region puts "Antwerp" on the road signs, and not "Deurne". Forigners do not have a clue about where Zaventem is and which city it serves. In every other country of the world, the road signs show the name of the main city served by the airport. But this is Belgium...

[xeno]

In every other country of the world, the road signs show the name of the main city served by the airport. But this is Belgium...

Not agreed: I remember searching for Malaga airport for instance, which was not indicated as Malaga but with the local name (don't remember what that was though). Still, the aircraft pictogram was/is clear enough, not?

Also, in our Belgian traffic code, all industrial zones are to be indicated by their common name in the well known little white boxes. Since the industrial zone (which is more than the airport btw) is known as Zaventem and not as Brussels-national, I don't know if it's possible to do this.

BTW: don't be so harsh on our poor little Belgium, I think we're doing just fine after all

[sn26567]

Since the industrial zone (which is more than the airport btw) is known as Zaventem and not as Brussels-National, I don't know if it's possible to do this.

The pictogram is for the airport, not the industrial zone, which is Brucargo. And then, why just "Cargo" road signs, and not "Brucargo" which is the correct name of the industrial zone? Is the name Brussels (also capital of Flanders) so abhorred in Flanders?

Poor Belgium...

[sn-remember]

and what is so wrong with Zaventem ?
Look at Rome Fiumicino which is also a geographical location (or am I wrong ?)
And who cares that the proper naming is Leonardo da Vinci ?

[airbuske]

Not agreed: I remember searching for Malaga airport for instance, which was not indicated as Malaga but with the local name (don't remember what that was though). Still, the aircraft pictogram was/is clear enough, not?

Yep In Spain some airports have a name :

ALBACETE - LEAB Airport name : Los Llanos
ALICANTE - LEAL Airport name : El Altet
BADAJOZ - LEBZ Airport name : Talaveral La Real
BARCELONA - LEBL Airport name : El Prat De Llobregat
BILBAO - LEBB Airport name : Sondica
GIRONA - LEGE Airport name : Costa Brava
LEÓN - LELN Airport name : Aeropuero de Bajio
LOGROÑO - LERJ Airport name : Agoncillo
MADRID/Barajas - LEMD Airport name : Barajas
MALLORCA - LESB Airport name :Son Bonet
MENORCA - LEMH Airport name : Mahon
MURCIA - LELC Airport name : San Javier / Alicante Sur
SALAMANCA - LESA Airport name :Matacan
SEVILLA - LEZL Airport name : San Pablo
SANTIAGO - LEST Airport name : Lavacolla
TENERIFE SUR - GCTS Airport name : Sur Reina Sofia
TENERIFE NORTE - GCXO Airport name : Norte Los Rodeos

Also in spain you only sings with an airplane on or airplane and aeropuerto. That's enough , no ?

[Atlantis]

Qatar airways has been considering EBBR since a long time. The problem untill now was lack of equipment ( No A330s available).

We receive an average of one A330/month but they are all being dispatched as soon as they come of line.

Is an A330 not to big to fly with pax to BRU? Why not starting with an A319?

[sn-remember]

It depends what connections they can offer from Doha. I believe it's not too big an offer if the product is sufficiently marketed and the connection offer good . BRU badly needs more connections to the gulf, subindian continent and fareast asia.

[airazurxtror]

and what is so wrong with Zaventem ?
Look at Rome Fiumicino which is also a geographical location (or am I wrong ?)
And who cares that the proper naming is Leonardo da Vinci ?

Many airports have three names:
1- the city they serve
2- a christening name
3- the name of the (usually small) place where they lie

For instance :
Roma - Leonardo da Vinci - Fiumicino
Roma - G.B. Pastino - Ciampino
Charleroi - Brussels South Charleroi - Gosselies
Paris - Charles De Gaulle - Roissy

Some have only two names :
1 & 2 : Pisa - Galileo Galilei
or 1 & 3 : Liège - Bierset ; Antwerpen - Deurne; Bergamo - Orio al Serio

For Brussels, one could say it is 1 2 3 :
Brussels - National - Zaventem

(Not to mention the name Ryanair can give to some airports : Bergamo is Milano, Treviso is Venice, Hahn is Frankfurt, etc. But that is another story...)

[Cartman]

We've been discussing this on a dull moment with some staffmembers one day and the following ideas came up:

Brussels Jacques Brel (famous Belgian, at least in Belgium itself)
Brussels Adolphe Sax (everyone knows a saxophone)
Brussels Heart of Europe (put attention on position in the EU)
Brussels King Albert (he founded the first airport in Evere)
Brussels Father Damien (he just won the Greatest Belgian election, but we didn't like this name anyway)
BruField (as a variation on Atlanta)
Hasselt West International (that one was mine )

Off course you could always add the word Airport.

Not really ideas someone would pay thousands of euros for, but at least we gave it a thought...

[Lukas_Ridgeston]

What about
Brussels Manneken Pis International
or
LeffePort Europe (or would that upset InBev?)