Inauguration of Jetairport at Brussels Airport

[sn26567]

This morning (Wednesday, 23 October 2013), Secretary of State for Mobility Melchior Wathelet has inaugurated the new Jetair building at Brussels Airport, called Jetairport.

This new complex encompasses a large office building for the seven TUI Travel Belgium companies (Jetair, Jetairfly, Jetaircenter, Sunjets, Sirius, Tec4Jets,TUIfly Academy Brussels); 800 of the 1725 Belgian TUI employees who were formerly disseminated in six locations will work on this new site.

Next to the office building is a large hangar (built on the site of former Hangar 40) which will serve as the maintenance centre of Tec4Jets. It can host 3 aeroplanes simultaneously, including one Boeing 787 Dreamliner. This hangar is covered by a roof of the size of a football field, weighing 3000 tonnes. The roof was built at ground level and lifted to its final position in one night. The concrete beam over the opening towards the airfield has a length of 112 m and is the largest concrete construction in Belgium.

The investment is worth 30 million euros.

During my discussion with Jetairfly representatives, it was divulged that in the hangar Tec4Jets will carry out the maintenance of Boeing 787 Dreamliners for the whole TUI Group of airlines: an opportunity to sppot more 787s in Brussels.

A few photos of the building and the event:

The Jetairport building

The Jetairport building (office side)

The Jetairport building (airfield side)

The Jetairport building, inside the hangar

The Jetairport building: view from the hangar to the offices

The inauguration:

Jetair spokespersons Hans Vanhaelemeesch and Florence Bruyère introduce the speakers

Speech of Elie Bruynincks, CEO TUI Travel Belgium

Speech of Johan Van Haleweyk, project manager at Van Laer (construction of the roof)

Speech of Arnaud Feist, CEO Brussels Airport

Speech of Francis Vermeiren, mayor of Zaventem

Speech of Melchior Wathelet, Secretary of State of Mobility

Inauguration with commemorative plaque by M. Wathelet

The commemorative plaque will stand in the lobby of the buildin

Time for a drink and snacks

A Jetairfly Embraer 190 (OO-JEB "Navigator") was present in the hangar:

Embraer 195 OO-JEB "Navigator"

[cathay belgium]

Nice report!
Lucky you..
Thx for sharing this event..
Cxb

[cnc]

yes very impressive building! some boring speeches though

[Established02]

"Next to the office building is a large hangar (built on the site of former Hangar 40)"

If not Hangar 40, will there be a different number for this new hangar?

"800 of the 1725 Belgian TUI employees who were formerly disseminated in six locations will work on this new site."

Where will everybody park their car? Did they perhaps build a new underground garage as well?

[AirOpinion]

They did, and it is accesed through the A201... Some congestion can be feared!

[sn26567]

If not Hangar 40, will there be a different number for this new hangar?

No number seems to have been assigned to that building. And in the same way as the flight number of a crashed aircraft usually disappears from the affected airline's list, the fate of hangar 40 after the fire 7 years ago will prevent to rename a new building with that number. Anyway, "Jetairport" looks sufficient for an address.

Where will everybody park their car? Did they perhaps build a new underground garage as well?

There is indeed a new parking, but one reason why TUI Belgium sought to regroup many of its employees at Brussels Airport is the accessibility by train through the new Diabolo link.

[shockcooling]

Anyway, "Jetairport" looks sufficient for an address

Great idea for Brussels Airlines, they can call the Bhouse Brussels Airport

[Established02]

one reason why TUI Belgium sought to regroup many of its employees at Brussels Airport is the accessibility by train through the new Diabolo link.

Let's hope many of those employees will indeed come to work by train.

Diabolo is certainly a major improvement for passengers.

However Diabolo may not necessarily always offer a better solution for many commuters. Coming to work by car may still be quicker or more convenient, even if you come from the region of Mechelen or Antwerp.

Those with a company car will expectedly continue to drive to work.

It seems also unlikely that pilots and flight attendants will come to work by train.

[Sai]

On the Jetairfly channel on YouTube they posted a promovideo about the new Jetairport building:

[b-west]

I recently had to move from p27 to p30... maybe to make place for the Jetairport employees?

[Magiktrix]

I want one of those office with a view inside the hangar.
More seriously its an impressive design, and having trully every employee under the same roof is unique.
They will save so much wasted time just going round the airport.

About the Diabolo its perfect for most pax but for workers it start to late and finish to early. Ok SNCB problem.

[Homo Aeroportus]

.... It can host 3 aeroplanes simultaneously, including one Boeing 787 Dreamliner. ...

Actually the hangar can accomodate simultaneously either 3 Code-C aircraft, e.g. 737, in a mixed tail-in nose-in arrangement, or one Code-C and a wide body such as the 787 or even a 773.
The wide body comes nose-in and the tractor needs to leave the hangar through the access road, i.e. landside

The H40 fire has been taken into account and Jetairport is superbly equipped with sophisticated fire detection and fire fighting measures.
On October 4 a live test took place that had to demonstrate the capability of creating a foam mat of at least 1.50m high in less than 3 minutes. The spectacular result was very positive and exceeded, by far this requirement.

This hangar is a real beauty.
Congrats to Jetair, Tec4Jets.

H.A.

[sn26567]

The H40 fire has been taken into account and Jetairport is superbly equipped with sophisticated fire detection and fire fighting measures.
On October 4 a live test took place that had to demonstrate the capability of creating a foam mat of at least 1.50m high in less than 3 minutes. The spectacular result was very positive and exceeded, by far this requirement.

When looking at the ceiling, I was also impressed by that large array of red pipes. But a Jetair representative could not explain to me what they were for...

[Tompompier]

Red pipes at the ceiling : sprinkling system in case of fire....The hangar and administrative building is fully equipped with sprinklers.

Tompompier

[Homo Aeroportus]

Red pipes at the ceiling : sprinkling system in case of fire....

There is indeed a complex network of sprinklers, red piping, but there are also six (6) huge fans/foam generators mounted in the ceiling.

By mixing a specific chemical with water, impressive pumps push this mix up to roof level and through these fans down to the hangar floor. After barely one minute of "snow" the six individual circles expand and merge to cover the last cm² (square inch for the metrically challenged colleagues).
My understandig is that this is aimed at dousing a possible spill fire at floor level.
Tom please correct me.

Should need be, a monster diesel generator supplies the pumps and other critical loads.

Jetair / Tec4Jets hardly let any chance to history for repeating.

H.A.

[sn26567]

If not Hangar 40, will there be a different number for this new hangar?

I just received an email from JetairCenter, and their address is writte "LHV -BRUSSEL NATIONAAL 40P B2". That seems to indicate that the hangar (and the offices) are still called 40.