Air Belgium: a rebirth?

[lucas]

But Brussels Airlines isn't flying to Asia (except of TLV and BOM)

[lucas]

But it surely should be better if they aren't flying to regions that are already served from Brussels Airport.
Than I'm more thinking of flying to Vietnam, Cambodja, Singapore, Indonesia,...

[airsrilanka]

Does Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia make profit for Air Belgium? Singapore is perfect but does Singapore Airlines fly to Brussels.

What do you think of Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Dubai, Los Angeles, Toronto?

[lucas]

Singapore Airlines doesn't fly to Brussels.
And Tokyo, Beiijing, Bankok, Dubai and Toronto are routes that are already served.
And Hainan is looking to start Brussels-Shanghai.
And I think that Hong Kong and Los Angeles have too much competition

[TLspotting]

If VLM could ask (and obtain) an AOC in Slovenia, maybe Air Belgium should ask an AOC in China...

That's a good answer,because those 2 AOCs are pending in Belgium,and VLM has requested AOC in Slovenia at the same time than Belgium I think so that's our Belgian surrealism !

Any chance Air Belgium flying direct flights to Colombo in Sri Lanka?

I remember those days, Belgium charters used to visit Sri Lanka every winter season.

Why not ?

Is the Air Belgium project dead ?

Pending AOC,so too money to depense at Helsinki maybe ?

Singapore Airlines doesn't fly to Brussels.
And Tokyo, Beiijing, Bankok, Dubai and Toronto are routes that are already served.
And Hainan is looking to start Brussels-Shanghai.
And I think that Hong Kong and Los Angeles have too much competition

Wow,Toronto is in Asia ?
Well,that's the same for Chicago (UA),Atlanta (Delta) and Montréal (Air Transat),it's a risk to launch to there.

[TLspotting]

"Our launch date is yet to be confirmed however not anticipated before the June 2017." on Air Belgium,
we are already the 21th of May,and no confirmation for the project...

[JOVAN]

"Our launch date is yet to be confirmed however not anticipated before the June 2017." on Air Belgium,
we are already the 21th of May,and no confirmation for the project...

Starting an Airline in a super-bureaucratic country like Belgium....

It is like wanting to build a new stadium, a new shopping center, ..; bureaucrats & politics;

Air Belgium remains a nice project WITH GREAT POTENTIAL :to take a share of this big numbers of Chinese tourists coming to (mainly western-) Europe.
Belgium is ideally located; Chinese toursits have 5 or 6 days to spend: Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Cologne,... and 2 days for shopping in the outlets.

Nice concept: I really hope it will succeed;

[Bralo20]

Starting an Airline in a super-bureaucratic country like Belgium....

It is like wanting to build a new stadium, a new shopping center, ..; bureaucrats & politics;

Air Belgium remains a nice project WITH GREAT POTENTIAL :to take a share of this big numbers of Chinese tourists coming to (mainly western-) Europe.
Belgium is ideally located; Chinese toursits have 5 or 6 days to spend: Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Cologne,... and 2 days for shopping in the outlets.

Nice concept: I really hope it will succeed;

You can't compare Air Belgium with Uplace and the Eurostadium. Both Uplace and Eurostadium have zero support of the public. Nobody in very wide region want those projects. Uplace will generate a tremendous amount of traffic on an already overcrowded ringway, dozens of shops will go down due this project, etc... Same applies to Eurostadium which, if ever being build, won't be used. The Belgian football league has already stated they don't want to play there (so no red devils matches) and Anderlecht, the principal user, is saying the same, they don't want to play there nor want they pay the ridiculous fees for the lease. So why built it at all? To have concerts? To have office space? Or maybe to have another shopping center (so we can have 3 shopping centers in less then 10 miles from each other (Bruxsel - Uplace - Eurostadium/NEO)?

Air Belgium on the other hand has support from the people and if they ever go forward it could be, eventually, be a successtory. I truly hope that Air Belgium lifts of (well, at least with a revised livery so the Belgium flag is flying the correct way ), I would love to see another Belgian airline succeed.

[PttU]

Air Belgium on the other hand has support from the people and if they ever go forward it could be, eventually, be a successtory. I truly hope that Air Belgium lifts of (well, at least with a revised livery so the Belgium flag is flying the correct way ), I would love to see another Belgian airline succeed.

Has it? Except from this forum and other enthusiasts, how many people even know of this new project? It even has little to no added value to Belgian people: the people profiting from the extra tourists probably don't care that much as it is only a small percentage in total and the amount of Belgians looking for a cheaper flight to China is limited.
But compared to the other projects you compare it to: the infrastructure and its problems are already there, it's "just" an extra carrier.

[jan_olieslagers]

Indeed, @PttU. Add to that the number of people - AND their elected politicians - for whom any aircraft is an aircraft too much in the sky. In BRU, at least.

[PttU]

Was BRU already confirmed as homebase? I thought LGG was an option too?

[Shengenzone]

Starting an Airline in a super-bureaucratic country like Belgium....

It is like wanting to build a new stadium, a new shopping center, ..; bureaucrats & politics;

Air Belgium remains a nice project WITH GREAT POTENTIAL :to take a share of this big numbers of Chinese tourists coming to (mainly western-) Europe.
Belgium is ideally located; Chinese toursits have 5 or 6 days to spend: Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Cologne,... and 2 days for shopping in the outlets.

Nice concept: I really hope it will succeed;

You can't compare Air Belgium with Uplace and the Eurostadium. Both Uplace and Eurostadium have zero support of the public. Nobody in very wide region want those projects. Uplace will generate a tremendous amount of traffic on an already overcrowded ringway, dozens of shops will go down due this project, etc... Same applies to Eurostadium which, if ever being build, won't be used. The Belgian football league has already stated they don't want to play there (so no red devils matches) and Anderlecht, the principal user, is saying the same, they don't want to play there nor want they pay the ridiculous fees for the lease. So why built it at all? To have concerts? To have office space? Or maybe to have another shopping center (so we can have 3 shopping centers in less then 10 miles from each other (Bruxsel - Uplace - Eurostadium/NEO)?

Air Belgium on the other hand has support from the people and if they ever go forward it could be, eventually, be a successtory. I truly hope that Air Belgium lifts of (well, at least with a revised livery so the Belgium flag is flying the correct way ), I would love to see another Belgian airline succeed.

Where do you get that Air Belgium has support of the people?! I think Eurostadion and Uplace has as much support as an unknown Air Belgium, not to say more...

[JOVAN]

Starting an Airline in a super-bureaucratic country like Belgium....

It is like wanting to build a new stadium, a new shopping center, ..; bureaucrats & politics;

Air Belgium remains a nice project WITH GREAT POTENTIAL :to take a share of this big numbers of Chinese tourists coming to (mainly western-) Europe.
Belgium is ideally located; Chinese toursits have 5 or 6 days to spend: Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Cologne,... and 2 days for shopping in the outlets.

Nice concept: I really hope it will succeed;

You can't compare Air Belgium with Uplace and the Eurostadium. Both Uplace and Eurostadium have zero support of the public. Nobody in very wide region want those projects. Uplace will generate a tremendous amount of traffic on an already overcrowded ringway, dozens of shops will go down due this project, etc... Same applies to Eurostadium which, if ever being build, won't be used. The Belgian football league has already stated they don't want to play there (so no red devils matches) and Anderlecht, the principal user, is saying the same, they don't want to play there nor want they pay the ridiculous fees for the lease. So why built it at all? To have concerts? To have office space? Or maybe to have another shopping center (so we can have 3 shopping centers in less then 10 miles from each other (Bruxsel - Uplace - Eurostadium/NEO)?

Air Belgium on the other hand has support from the people and if they ever go forward it could be, eventually, be a successtory. I truly hope that Air Belgium lifts of (well, at least with a revised livery so the Belgium flag is flying the correct way ), I would love to see another Belgian airline succeed.

Where do you get that Air Belgium has support of the people?! I think Eurostadion and Uplace has as much support as an unknown Air Belgium, not to say more...

my point was not the public support or the lack of it, but the fact that entrepreneurs in this country now have to do with a lot of red tape.
It has become totally abnormal & hilarous: what is possible in any other civilized European country is NOT possible in Belgium.

If entrepreneurs follow all procedures, and get eventually approvals which then are revoked, what else can you call it than sabotage.
Sabotage by the politicians and their administration (for NIMBY or other reasons ...) is the word.

An ugly place like Parking C : which reasonable person can be against the fact that a new stadium could be built there. With parkings & public transport facilities that would serve the locals, the commuters, the football- and other fans.

Same for AIR BELGIUM : get the AOC and start the business.!!

Same for Oosterweel, Stadion Bruges, infrastructure, tunnels in Brussels,... etc etc

[MrBrightside]

They will start operating as from the winter season (Oct-Nov) due to the delay of the AOC. They will start with 4 weekly flights to Hong Kong then 6 in 2018.
Source: Le Soir

[SLM]

Where did you find the information? Many tx.

[Boeing767copilot]

http://www.lesoir.be/1508818/article/ec ... on-d-hiver

et L'Echo:


Air Belgium ne décollera pas cet été comme annoncé

Les retards dans l’obtention de sa licence et dans la configuration des avions handicapent le démarrage des vols. Ils sont reportés à la saison d’hiver.
Changement de plans pour les dirigeants et promoteurs d’Air Belgium, la nouvelle compagnie aérienne belge qui ambitionne de relier le royaume à la Chine. Selon nos informations, le démarrage des activités n’aura pas lieu cet été comme prévu. "ça devient court. On a pris un peu de retard car la procédure d’obtention du droit de trafic de survol du territoire (AOC, NDLR) a pris plus de temps et la reconfiguration des cabines de pilotage n’a pas été réalisée à temps. L’objectif aujourd’hui est de lancer les vols pour la saison d’hiver", nous a confirmé Niky Terzakis, CEO d’Air Belgium.

Il se refuse à donner plus de précisions sur la date exacte, mais le lancement des vols devrait avoir lieu en octobre ou novembre. Le report du décollage effectif de la compagnie ne signifie nullement un abandon du projet. Que du contraire. Les dirigeants sont déterminés à la mettre sur orbite cette année.
Première ville: Hong Kong

Même si Air Belgium envisage de desservir d’autres pays, la Chine sera, dans un premier temps, son principal marché. Elle a d’ailleurs participé au salon international du tourisme (ITB) qui se tenait pour la première en dehors de l’Allemagne. Il avait lieu du 10 au 12 mai à Shanghai. "L’objectif est de se faire connaître dans le paysage du tourisme chinois et de prendre des contacts. Les gens nous posent beaucoup de questions sur le début des activités et quelles sont les villes qui seront desservies", nous avait expliqué Bénédicte Verhaeghe, l’assistante de direction d’Air Belgium.

"Nous avons eu un peu de retard. L’objectif est désormais de lancer les vols à la saison d’hiver." niky terzakis ceo d’air belgium

D’après la direction, la nouvelle compagnie aérienne belge démarrera ses activités par quatre vols par semaine vers Honk Kong, puis montera à six vols hebdomadaires vers la même destination dès 2018. D’autres villes chinoises sont également prévues au programme.

La présence au salon à Shanghai semble avoir été un succès. "Le bilan de notre participation est positif. La présence sur le stand de WBT (Wallonie Belgique Tourisme) nous a énormément aidés. Ceux qui ont entendu parler d’Air Belgium nous attendent maintenant avec beaucoup d’impatience", dit-on chez Air Belgium à Mont-Saint-Guibert. La compagnie arborera prochainement un nouveau site internet pour notamment présenter une mise à jour de son évolution.

Les dirigeants poursuivent l’analyse des dossiers pour choisir l’aéroport d’où les avions décolleront en Belgique. Le combat se joue entre Brussels South Charleroi Airport (BSCA) et Brussels Airport. Mais l’aéroport national tient plus la corde que son homologue de Charleroi au regard des critères opérationnels d’Air Belgium.
Brussels Airport en tête

Il faut une base d’exploitation qui accueille quotidiennement des vols réguliers et qui offre de la connectivité. Ces conditions permettront au nouvel opérateur de profiter d’un réseau de compagnies aériennes pour remplir ses avions. Elles faciliteront aussi la vie de la clientèle qui pourra ainsi mieux organiser ses voyages.

Les dirigeants de Brussels Airport estiment d’ailleurs que leurs installations offrent toutes les garanties pour accueillir Air Belgium. "La logique voudrait qu’ils viennent chez nous. Brussels Airport est l’endroit idéal pour eux, car l’infrastructure est là, le marché aussi. Quand je vois leur plan qui prévoit un certain nombre d’avions (quatre A340), on peut leur fournir la capacité d’avoir 4 ou 6 avions au sol en même temps. Je ne suis pas sûr que d’autres aéroports en Belgique peuvent offrir cette capacité. Il y a aussi des possibilités de faire des transferts avec des compagnies déjà présentes chez nous, ça pourrait être intéressant pour eux", soutient Arnaud Feist, CEO de Brussels Airport company.

[Yuqu12]

The arguments mentioned by Feist are very logical and quite convincing to choose BRU as their hub, but of course the question remains whether Air Belgium is then willing to take the penalties of the Brussels government. I am pretty sure an A340 is too loud to fly over there without getting any fines.

[quixoticguide]

Les dirigeants poursuivent l’analyse des dossiers pour choisir l’aéroport d’où les avions décolleront en Belgique. Le combat se joue entre Brussels South Charleroi Airport (BSCA) et Brussels Airport. Mais l’aéroport national tient plus la corde que son homologue de Charleroi au regard des critères opérationnels d’Air Belgium.
Brussels Airport en tête

The runway in CRL is too short for A340.

[domtom]

Liege?

[SR20]

Liege?

Liege is obviously out of the race as they're looking for connections with other airlines !