Ostend Airport - Latest news

[fretn]

The funny thing is the OST-people would like to see their airport flourish again.
But the main problem is the position of the runway, if it would have been situated towards the sea & the polders there wouldn't be a major problem of noise pollution. But still, I live very close to the airport & i don't really have a lot of problems living there, I can still sleap . Wiloo is also mostly a group of old grumpy ostend people! They knew what came for them when they decided to buy cheaper lots of land located next to an airport, they have no reason to be angry at the airport (especially after all the russian planes have left).

[flightlover]

The funny thing is the OST-people would like to see their airport flourish again.
But the main problem is the position of the runway, if it would have been situated towards the sea & the polders there wouldn't be a major problem of noise pollution. But still, I live very close to the airport & i don't really have a lot of problems living there, I can still sleap . Wiloo is also mostly a group of old grumpy ostend people! They knew what came for them when they decided to buy cheaper lots of land located next to an airport, they have no reason to be angry at the airport (especially after all the russian planes have left).

If only those NIMBY's thought that way

but then again they wouldn't be called NIMBY's

[Ice]

Jan, I do agree with your statement but then again if Ostend Airport is part of an agreement signed long ago by the Belgian Government as it being part of a NATO deal package, which means it will never be closed, why not making an effort to make something nice out of it.

[regi]

Jan, I do agree with your statement but then again if Ostend Airport is part of an agreement signed long ago by the Belgian Government as it being part of a NATO deal package, which means it will never be closed, why not making an effort to make something nice out of it.

good info.
same with Ursel I think ?

[Acid-drop]

maybe the flemish gov just think that improving other part of the economy is easier and more benefitial : the harbours also create a lot of jobs, improving them is probably more important than playing casino with OST.

[jan_olieslagers]

There are quite a lot of reserve airfields in Belgium, for such a smallish country. Without research I come to EBUL, EBZR, EBWE, EBSL, EBSU, EBBX. Perhaps forgot the odd one. But as far as I understand all these are basically combat bases, some of them assigned to NATO but I wouldn't know which.
But the story behind EBOS/OST must be quite different: if it would ever be used by NATO, the only usage I can imagine is by requisitioned civilian transport planes.
Do tell us more, Ice!

And I can't resist this political and probably rhetorical question: if EBOS infrastructure is really used to fill some of Belgium's NATO obligations, how much is Belgian government paying for it?

[regi]

Without further research, just a quick reaction: I do remember there was a hint about Ostend Airport at the time of the B-52 strikes out of the UK against Iraq in 2003. ( but that was not a NATO job )
As far as my Alzheimer infested brain remembers I think that it was mentioned that Ostend could be used by the B-52's in case of emergency landing. Don't ask me further, and please don't criticise me, it just a far memory.

[cnc]

atleast the airport still has its use as a diversion airport

[3toons]

I live near Prestwick Airport, Scotland. I would visit Ostend far more often if it was easier to get to. I can fly from Prestwick to Charleroi (at least until the end of this month) and then catch a bus and two trains to Ostend which can take anything up to five hours from stepping off the plane. I could also get the overnight sleeper train to London and get the Eurostar from there. I read earlier on this year that the Flemish Government or the Tourist Board wanted an airline to fly routes to Manchester and Glasgow from Ostend. This would have been ideal for me and it is a route that I would use several times per year. Now Ryanair are even cancelling their route from Prestwick to Charleroi but increasing the number of flights to Edinburgh.
Ostend badly needs better transport links with the UK and the rest of Europe.

[regi]

I live near Prestwick Airport, Scotland. I would visit Ostend far more often if it was easier to get to. I can fly from Prestwick to Charleroi (at least until the end of this month) and then catch a bus and two trains to Ostend which can take anything up to five hours from stepping off the plane. I could also get the overnight sleeper train to London and get the Eurostar from there. I read earlier on this year that the Flemish Government or the Tourist Board wanted an airline to fly routes to Manchester and Glasgow from Ostend. This would have been ideal for me and it is a route that I would use several times per year. Now Ryanair are even cancelling their route from Prestwick to Charleroi but increasing the number of flights to Edinburgh.
Ostend badly needs better transport links with the UK and the rest of Europe.

Right 3Toons.
By the way , there are some great pictures on the internet of multi modal transport in the old days: put your car on an airplane from the UK to Ostend !
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Sabena/B ... df28e64a58
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Sabena/B ... df28e64a58
http://www.al-airliners.be/b-c/bua/vfb.170-2.jpg
Btw : transport Charleroi-Ostend: you can also take the coach from Charleroi Airport towards Bruges and take a short train or bus ride towards Ostend.

[Acid-drop]

I believe that anything less than 5 hours has less and less future in the aviation industry.
Just watch DB and their future new high speed connection frankfurt-london.
Now, there are plenty of other destinations

[airazurxtror]

Btw : transport Charleroi-Ostend: you can also take the coach from Charleroi Airport towards Bruges and take a short train or bus ride towards Ostend.

I can't find the Charleroi-Brugge coach on the Charleroi airport website. I wonder if it has not been cancelled.

http://www.charleroi-airport.com/

[3toons]

airazurxtror and regi
I flew into Charleroi in December last year and March this year. I asked both times if there was a bus to Brugge and both times they said that there wasn't. I've always bought the combined bus and train ticket to any station in Belgium. Until December it cost something like 22 Euros. But when I went back in March the price had doubled!! A direct bus to Brugge and Ostend would be much better because it is very tiring hauling suitcases on and off buses and trains. Although I'd much rather fly in to Ostend Airport. Ryanair gets criticised for using small airports. Personally I think it is better to fly into a small airport like Ostend because you are in and out of them so quickly.
I hope that Ryanair does come to Ostend and that not only will it give the people of Ostend and the surrounding area the ability to fly from a more local airport but I also hope that it will help to bring tourists to the area and therefore create jobs.

[regi]

airazurxtror and regi
I flew into Charleroi in December last year and March this year. I asked both times if there was a bus to Brugge and both times they said that there wasn't. I've always bought the combined bus and train ticket to any station in Belgium. Until December it cost something like 22 Euros. But when I went back in March the price had doubled!! A direct bus to Brugge and Ostend would be much better because it is very tiring hauling suitcases on and off buses and trains. Although I'd much rather fly in to Ostend Airport. Ryanair gets criticised for using small airports. Personally I think it is better to fly into a small airport like Ostend because you are in and out of them so quickly.
I hope that Ryanair does come to Ostend and that not only will it give the people of Ostend and the surrounding area the ability to fly from a more local airport but I also hope that it will help to bring tourists to the area and therefore create jobs.

I am surprised to read that this bus connection between Charleroi and Bruges has gone. I tried to find it on the Ryanair site , Tripadvisor and the company that does the transport: Autocars l'Elan. But no, it has gone.
Some months ago we had a heated discussion about Ryanair coming to Ostend. And some might remember I brought up the issue of the bus connection, complaints from people in the inner city and so on.
But reading your words I have to admit that I am a supporter of an airline coming to Ostend. ( some people might have thought I was anti aviation ). I was just getting upset about the strange things with subsidies, the Ryanair mentality, tax payer's money for what ? and so on. And 3Toons, don't forget that Ryanair was already at Ostend some years ago !
You as a customer are right with your questions, suggestions, desires. But MoL has another adagio: "customer is king but I am emperor".

[3toons]

Regi, I actually flew twice from Prestwick to Ostend with a change of aircraft at London Stansted. Believe me, even having a connecting flight at Stansted the journey was so much easier. The whole trip cost me £40 but that was before all the charges for luggage etc. I've been very lucky with Ryanair in that I've never had any serious delays or cancellations and I've flown with them many times but when things go wrong they really don't want to know you at all and you have to fend for yourself. MOL talks a load of ******** at times and he seems to think he has the God given right to be paid to land at an airport and to get all the subsidies he can get. I would like to think that when MOL leaves Ryanair things will improve and that it will hopefully become a better airline. I sincerely hope that an airline does come to Ostend, whether it is Ryanair or another airline. Ostend is greatly underused which is a shame because I think it has potential.

[Stij]

I believe that anything less than 5 hours has less and less future in the aviation industry.
Just watch DB and their future new high speed connection frankfurt-london.
Now, there are plenty of other destinations

I presume you talk about "train-hours" and not "airplain hours", but even then I tend to disagree: I think the border is very easy: what's the fastest city centre to city centre?

Let's count the plane:

30min transfer to the airport
60min for check-in
75min flying
30min for luggage recuperation (or what's left of it )
30min transfer to the city

So. let's say around 3:30 to 4:00, above that, people will continue to fly, so I think Lyon is kind of the border... Nice is already to far.

Of course, in the long term London, Amsterdam, Frankurt, Paris and Luxemburg will be gone, once some train operator figures out that luggage should travel "check-in" on a train as well and not carried on and off trains and across endless terminals (Air France via CDG *)^^R$&^*(^^*(*(&^&$^$$%&^%*(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers,

Stij

[Ozzie1969]

Btw : transport Charleroi-Ostend: you can also take the coach from Charleroi Airport towards Bruges and take a short train or bus ride towards Ostend.

I can't find the Charleroi-Brugge coach on the Charleroi airport website. I wonder if it has not been cancelled.

http://www.charleroi-airport.com/

That busservice has been discontinued since the 1st of April LAST YEAR ! I'm not surprised, because seeing that there were often only a few people on board (sometimes nobody at all!), it's lasted longer than it should have.

[regi]

Btw : transport Charleroi-Ostend: you can also take the coach from Charleroi Airport towards Bruges and take a short train or bus ride towards Ostend.

I can't find the Charleroi-Brugge coach on the Charleroi airport website. I wonder if it has not been cancelled.

http://www.charleroi-airport.com/

That busservice has been discontinued since the 1st of April LAST YEAR ! I'm not surprised, because seeing that there were often only a few people on board (sometimes nobody at all!), it's lasted longer than it should have.

Wow, thank you Ozzie for that update. So all the fuzz was about nothing last year.

[regi]

I believe that anything less than 5 hours has less and less future in the aviation industry.
Just watch DB and their future new high speed connection frankfurt-london.
Now, there are plenty of other destinations

I presume you talk about "train-hours" and not "airplain hours", but even then I tend to disagree: I think the border is very easy: what's the fastest city centre to city centre?

Let's count the plane:

30min transfer to the airport
60min for check-in
75min flying
30min for luggage recuperation (or what's left of it )
30min transfer to the city

So. let's say around 3:30 to 4:00, above that, people will continue to fly, so I think Lyon is kind of the border... Nice is already to far.

Of course, in the long term London, Amsterdam, Frankurt, Paris and Luxemburg will be gone, once some train operator figures out that luggage should travel "check-in" on a train as well and not carried on and off trains and across endless terminals (Air France via CDG *)^^R$&^*(^^*(*(&^&$^$$%&^%*(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers,

Stij

You forget the Q400NG connection BRU-Lille

[FLYAIR10]

Info on Ostend-airport winter 2010-2011 program shows following flight schedule .Source : http://www.ost.aero

SPAIN

PERIODE DAG/DAY/JOUR OOSTENDE - ALICANTE ALICANTE - OOSTENDE TOUROPERATOR
vertrek aankomst vlucht vertrek aankomst vlucht
02/11/2010 -22/03/2011 DI/MAR/TUE 6:00 10:35 JAF 2831 11:25 13:55 JAF 2832 JETAIR
29/10/2010 -25/03/2011 VRIJ/FRI/VEN 17:55 22:20 JAF 5831 23:10 1:40 JAF 5832 JETAIR /TH.COOK


PERIODE DAG/DAY/JOUR OOSTENDE - MALAGA PALMA - OOSTENDE TOUROPERATOR
vertrek aankomst vlucht vertrek aankomst vlucht
02/11/2010 -22/03/2011 DI/MAR/TUE 6:00 8:40 JAF 2831 9:35 13:55 JAF 2832 JETAIR
29/10/2010 -25/03/2011 VRIJ/FRI/VEN 17:55 20:35 JAF 5831 21:20 1:40 JAF 5832 JETAIR /TH.COOK


PERIODE DAG/DAY/JOUR OOSTENDE - TENERIFE TENERIFE - OOSTENDE TOUROPERATOR
vertrek aankomst vlucht vertrek aankomst vlucht
01/11/2010 - 29/11/2010 MA/MON/LUN 7:30 12:20 JAF 1177 13:10 18:35 JAF 1178 JETAIR
27/12/2010 - 21/03/2011 MA/MON/LUN 7:30 12:20 JAF 1177 13:10 18:35 JAF 1178 JETAIR
03/11/2010 - 30/03/2011 WOE/WED/MER 6:00 10:45 JAF 3173 11:35 17:00 JAF 3174 JETAIR /TH.COOK
29/10/2010 - 25/03/2011 VRIJ/FRI/VEN 6:40 10:15 JAF 5191 11:30 16:55 JAF 5192 JETAIR /TH.COOK


PERIODE DAG/DAY/JOUR OOSTENDE - GRAN CANARIA GRAN CANARIA - OOSTENDE TOUROPERATOR
vertrek aankomst vlucht vertrek aankomst vlucht
01/11/2010-29/11/2010 MA/MON/LUN 7:30 10:55 JAF 1177 11:40 18:35 JAF 1178 JETAIR
27/12/2010 - 21/03/2011 MA/MON/LUN 7:30 10:55 JAF 1177 11:40 18:35 JAF 1178 JETAIR
03/11/2010 - 30/03/2011 WOE/WED/MER 6:00 9:25 JAF 3173 10:05 17:00 JAF 3174 JETAIR /TH.COOK
30/10/2010 - 26/03/2011 ZAT/SAT/SAM 5:25 10:25 JAF 6393 11:25 16:45 JAF 6394 JETAIR




TURKEY

PERIODE DAG/DAY/JOUR OOSTENDE - ANTALYA ANTALYA - OOSTENDE TOUROPERATOR
vertrek aankomst vlucht vertrek aankomst vlucht
03/11/2010-24/11/2010 WOE/WED/MER JETAIR
31/10/2010-07/11/2010 ZON/SUN/DIM 12:10 17:20 FHY 883 8:00 11:10 FHY 884 JETAIR
14/11/2010-28/11/2010 ZON/SUN/DIM 15:45 20:35 JAF 7214 11:30 14:45 JAF7217 JETAIR