Air Belgium in 2018

[Acid-drop]

Its an evil plan but its a very clever move to upgrade CRL.
Mom loves both kids for sure

[Desert Rat]

After all, with the new "investors" SIRW and FPM, and with Sowaer already involved, they're very close to a EU investigation into forbitten state aid. Specially when even more taxpayers money will be invested in a runway extension that is a waste of money (the EU doens't make a difference between federal and regional authorities).

Every time you comment on this topic it's to blame ABA to have chosen CRL, to highlight how stupid their decision is or to try to get attention from journalist or EU to stir the pot around so-called forbidden state aid. Me think, the decision is taken and it is up to ABA to assume their choice, they have been supported by market experts from OEM, but also suppliers (Sabre, Amadeus,???,etc...), they have build their business plan around recommendations and personal experience, so let's give them a chance to prove you wrong, sit back, relax and enjoy the show, it will start soon...and if it ends before year end, so be it, at least they were not part of the blaming people but the one who tried to build something.
Can you just elaborate on why a runway extension is a waste of Money?
Runway extension will reduce the noise generated by the A/C's at TO , will authorize LR A/C's TO at higher TOW, and can be used as diversion airport for LR A/C's, so, what's wrong with that?

For Acid drop, you should refrain from always comparing LGG and CRL, and think that LGG is the sole Airport who can handle Cargo in Belgium, the sun shines for one and all on this planet.

[JustPlanes]

I think Air Belgium didn't do too bad picking CRL... if they are going to fly mostly people from China coming to Europe for tourism, landing at CRL and getting on a bus will be faster than doing that at BRU... and as far as the more frequent flyers from Europe... most of them will opt for Cathay out of BRU anyway so competing head to hear with CX is not going to be a winning proposition however a lot of people who live within an hour drive from CRL and happen to want to visit HKG won't mind picking CRL... and as a Belgian I'd rather fly the Belgian airline anyway... if over time ABB can build a nice long haul network with some attractive destinations in Asia & the Americas and somehow find a way to offer connections through LGG and perhaps something in the US I think they have a good chance to do well...
Personally I'd tell them to hook up with Frontier in Denver where they offer a fantastic network in the Western part of the US...
In Hong Kong maybe they can hook up with Air Hong Kong to offer connections to many of their China/Asian destinations...

Anyway we should all wish them good luck because there aren't many successful BELGIAN airlines at this point and thats an understatement unfortunately!

[ZavCity]

Hallo
1.Air Hong Kong is a cargo airline..Maybe you mean Hong Kong Airlines, but they are part of Hainan group en are promoting Shenzen, not far from Hong Kong!!
2.Air belgium is "belgian"..52pc untill now..Could become chinese very soon!
Which "Belgian" airline do you like to fly??Idon't know any!!
gtz
paul

[sn26567]

2.Air belgium is "belgian"..52pc untill now..Could become chinese very soon!
Which "Belgian" airline do you like to fly??Idon't know any!!

Air Belgium must keep a Belgian (or at least EU) majority in its capital to retain its Belgian AOC. Hence, yes, it is a Belgian airline, maybe the only one (unless ASL Airlines can also be considered as Belgian).

[Yuqu12]

Well, if you look to a Belgian airline as an airline which has only Belgian shareholders, there won't be any in Belgium. For me a Belgian airline is an airline which has a serious connection with Belgium and a Belgian brand. This would mean that SN, TB, VLM and AB are certainly Belgian airlines. But, if SN becomes EW, there is no link hence no Belgian airline for me.

[quixoticguide]

Among the problems that still need to be ironed out: the overfly rights over 13 countries, including the Russian Federation with which the bilateral relations are not at their best for the moment...

13 countries how are they flying?
- China
- Mongolia
- Russian Federation
- Estonia
- Sweden
- Denmark
- Germany
- The Netherlands
- Belgium

[Yuqu12]

Maybe Luxemburg too?

[Airbus330lover]

No problem with the EU countries....
No problem with China
For the rest...... chinees influence can help

[SLM]

Do they really want to fly from 15th April?

[sn26567]

To settle once and for all the issue of the Belgian flag represented on Air Belgium aircraft, could we consider that Air Belgium used the 1830 flag with the colours red, yellow and black in a horizontal layout with the red on top? It's only in 1831 that the colours became shown in a vertical layout.

https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi ... uselang=en

[Bralo20]

To settle once and for all the issue of the Belgian flag represented on Air Belgium aircraft, could we consider that Air Belgium used the 1830 flag with the colours red, yellow and black in a horizontal layout with the red on top? It's only in 1831 that the colours became shown in a vertical layout.

https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi ... uselang=en

Nope

If so, the colours should be indeed horizontal and not vertical like on the plane (or not even in between horizontal and vertical).

So, still wrong, no matter how you spin it. Sorry

And to be honest, who would use a 1830 flag anyway? I don't even think they heard about that one. I kinda bed that the wrong colours are because of the Chinese owners and their favouritism for the red colour.

Anyway, thought nobody was allowed to mention this ever again?

[sn26567]

If so, the colours should be indeed horizontal and not vertical like on the plane (or not even in between horizontal and vertical).

To me, the colours look more horizontal than vertical, but I'll leave it there...

[Amavro]

Bralo, instead of complaining all the time about the wrong colors of the flag, could you please just appreciate it? At least Air Belgium put the belgian colors on his aicraft, no matter in Black-Red-Yellow or Yellow-Red-Black. Look at Brussels Airlines or VLM, do you see any reference to the belgian flag?

[Vic Diesel]

Am I the only one annoyed by the never-ending moaning and whining about flag colors? The stickers are at their places: get over it or turn away when you see it. Period.

Back to substantial questions: I am really curious if they start flying to China from 15. April... somehow I still have some doubts.

[webstermc]

About the flag, we are not the only one who sees this...

https://www.upinthesky.nl/2018/03/20/ee ... nde-maand/ (in dutch)

Kleuren
De vlag op het vliegtuig is in de kleuren: rood, geel, zwart. Anders dan de huidige Belgische vlag die wordt gekenmerkt door zwart, geel, rood. Grondwettelijk is de vlag zoals Air Belgium die heeft geschilderd juist. In 1830 lagen de kleuren rood, geel, zwart, nog horizontaal op elkaar. Maar een jaar later heeft iemand beslist dat het verschil met Nederland duidelijker moest zijn en toen werd de vlag een kwartslag gedraaid. Om heraldische redenen werd toen ook beslist om de donkerste kleur aan de stok vast te maken.

[convair]

Fascinating discussion!

"Om heraldische redenen" ..., but of course!!!

I love that one!

[Shengenzone]

Bralo, instead of complaining all the time about the wrong colors of the flag, could you please just appreciate it? At least Air Belgium put the belgian colors on his aicraft, no matter in Black-Red-Yellow or Yellow-Red-Black. Look at Brussels Airlines or VLM, do you see any reference to the belgian flag?

Why would VLM put Belgian colours on their aircraft. They are "Vlaamse Luchttransport Maatschappij", they used to feature the Flemish lion on their aircraft with the slogan The wings of Flanders. And they are flying from Antwerp airport. Officially called Antwerp Flanders International airport.

Same counts for SN, they are Brussels airlines not Belgian airlines so...
And if you portray a flag, a symbol of national pride, you better do it correctly or you are basically insulting a nation!

[DeltaWiskey]

With all the commotion about the colors of the flag, I wonder how much the Smurfs aircraft is going to be appreciated on this board... (probably not much since SN is now part of Eurowings, but that’s a different story)

[Bralo20]

As long as the "Die Schlümpfe" plane has as B-tail, everyone will be happy If it has an EW tail on the other hand...