2017 Antwerp Airport (ANR/EBAW) latest news

[sn26567]

Antwerp Airport published a press release on 3 January about its excellent 2016 figures (thanks in part to the closure of Brussels after the terror attacks).

This press release was in Dutch only (a little bit strange for an airport which claims to ne international). Thus Luchtzak.be issued an English translation and sent it to the Airport management.

https://www.aviation24.be/airports/antwerp ... year-2016/

Nine days later, there it is: the English translation is also on the ANR website. Better late than never

http://www.antwerp-airport.be/contentpa ... p?p=nieuws

[PttU]

Starting on Sunday March 26 CityJet will fly two rotations on Sunday: one extra in the afternoon:
ANR -> LCY
WX236: 14:15-14:25 (new)
WX238: 18:30-18:35 (as before)

LCY -> ANR
WX237: 14:55-17:00 (new)
WX239: 19:05-21:20 (as before)

[sn26567]

Bomb alert, part of airport evacuated, one man arrested;

https://www.aviation24.be/airports/antwerp ... -arrested/

[Boeing767copilot]

Nobody was arrested, just interrogated by the federal police.

[luchtzak]

Nobody was arrested, just interrogated by the federal police.

And released, the passenger could take his flight.

[DIBO]

So the scanner detects molecules categorized as 'explosive' and the 'explosives' sniffer dog reacts several times. Two totally different 'technologies' give an alert., this reduces substantially the margin of error. Thorough visual inspection inside out of the hand luggage revealed nothing. But I do hope that trace samples have been taken on the luggage and on the person, for further in-depth forensic analysis!
I must say that last time I took a flight in ANR (the E190), it was the most thorough security check I experienced the past 2 years (compared to BRU, AGP, ALC, TXL).

[Sai]

A new lounge, shop and a foodbar are being built together with the expansion of the departure hall. Completion: April 2017.
Source: Article on gva.be (Dutch)

[DIBO]

Marcel Buelens, CEO Antwerp & Ostend-Bruges airports, elected "personality of the year":
dutch only: http://www.antwerp-airport.be/contentpa ... ownews=243

[tangolima]

Hello

Heard the Cityjet flights are doing very well from ANR to LCY pax load was 41,36,31 (on the ANR LCY leg) and Jaf Had 103 pax on board.

Greetings,

[DIBO]

Good news that flighs are doing well, but it is high time that something is done about the post 22/3 security measures, which make it a complete shamble for the 'dropping-off/collecting passengers' traffic flow. As if the 2x daily 100 pax peak that arrive & depart, make it such an important security threat. And on the roundabout in front of the building, you still can drive a car within meters of the building, there were the building structure is the weakest (all glass outside wall). Many places around Antwerp, with much higher people concentration (even thousands), you can still drive by just in front of the building, or get in with a bag without thorough security check (pre-metro, trainstation, shopping malls,...). It's not because 22/3 had an airport as one of the targets, that future threats will focus mainly at airports. I think that the average potential terrorist, doesn't even know ANR airport exists. So let's be reasonable, and restore access to ANR airport to a sensible level. Many of the TUI flights has an average pax age of 55+, so easy access to the airport building is important to keep & expand the customer base. Now that the airside has considerably improved, I hope that the "personality of the year" does something urgently about the landside. Starting with updating the airports webpage, still stating the "Premium Parking", which has been closed for over a year now and with a link to the parking-website which gives now for more than a year wrong info about Kiss&Fly, Taxi, Bus stop & Front Parking

Also the public transport info on ANR airport website is wrong, only the website of 'De Lijn' gives the correct info to find the busstop in front of the Aldi, which is still very close to the airport (about 75m), but difficult to spot at night (just a temporary busstop sign along the trees).

ANR bus.JPG (23.9 KiB) Viewed 13536 times

So clean up this mess, restore the parkings and bus stops as they were before, keep the security check at the entrance door and accept the hard fact that "they" will strike again when&where we least expect it...

[jan_olieslagers]

Absolutely and totally right, DIBO. Only I am afraid this is only one more aspect of the general folly to make EBAW an airport "like any other airport". It really is too near to EBBR/BRU for that. I always stated the focus should be on business traffic, either private (typically bizjets) or high-yield scheduled, of which regrettably only ANR-LCY has been made to work as yet.

[PttU]

Between P1 and P2 is a wide area currently used as kiss&fly zone. Maybe the entire P1 can be a security-problem, but the space between the terminal and P1 is big enough for a parking or kiss&fly. 100 pax is a lot compared to the traffic before TUI/Jetairfly, but it's not that much after all.
Public transport is rather useless as a lot of flights depart before the first bus or arrive after the last bus.
And "Economy Parking" vs "Premium parking" is a bit of a joke too... P2 is 10eur/day, P3 is 8eur/day, so for a short weekend break you'll save about 5euro, but you need to use the shuttle and loose the time you have to arrive before departure, which is one of the big plus-points at ANR.

[DIBO]

Between P1 and P2 is a wide area currently used as kiss&fly zone.

Used as K&F yes, sometimes in a total chaotic way and totally illegal, because the whole area is full of E2 roadsigns "no stopping". Instead of providing solutions, they were very quick in putting E2's everywhere.
P1 a security-problem...well not more than parkingspots in front of warehouses, schools, meeting places, some hospitals,...

[ironspan]

To: DIBO
I fully agree with you. Clearly there is not much 'customer' focus on ANR, the parkings are closed, the public transport facilities are poor (not even a covered busstop to hide from the rain) and outside & inside signage for Departures / Arrivals is not cleary visible. I hear that the general excuse is: 'This is not under the Airport's responsibility (referring the issue to 'De Lijn' or 'Federale Bevoegdheid'). But if EGIS wants to attract more traffic, these items should urgently be addressed. NO airline wants to have its passengers going through this experience. They have already to accept the short runway (with no parallel taxiway - currently B-taxiway has only 'reflectors' because lighting cables are u/s) and relatively high minima for landing (approach light system is very basic). Lucky we still have very short check-in and boarding times, and the new extension of the terminal will at least make the dep/arr area more pleasant.

To: Jan_Olieslagers
I am always surprised that a person who uses 'Jan Olieslagers' as his username, does not believe in ANR's potential. Yes, focus should be mainly on 'business' connections, but clearly TUI has found a nice niche, with very high load factors (if Vueling or Thomas Cook would also have EMB190, I am sure they would also be successful). And it is not because it is a 'business' airport, that the above issues should not be solved, a 'business' passenger needs to get even better services. ANR is not a folly, it should be a 'volwaardige' airport, Jan_Olieslagers would fight for it if he would still be around...

[ostair]

To: DIBO
I fully agree with you. Clearly there is not much 'customer' focus on ANR, the parkings are closed, the public transport facilities are poor (not even a covered busstop to hide from the rain) and outside & inside signage for Departures / Arrivals is not cleary visible. I hear that the general excuse is: 'This is not under the Airport's responsibility (referring the issue to 'De Lijn' or 'Federale Bevoegdheid'). But if EGIS wants to attract more traffic, these items should urgently be addressed. NO airline wants to have its passengers going through this experience. They have already to accept the short runway (with no parallel taxiway - currently B-taxiway has only 'reflectors' because lighting cables are u/s) and relatively high minima for landing (approach light system is very basic). Lucky we still have very short check-in and boarding times, and the new extension of the terminal will at least make the dep/arr area more pleasant.

Agree with you.
Same at OST, lots of talk but no action.
One can't say if EGIS was the right choice. It was the ONLY choice...

Any airline operating a E190 can do good business at ANR.

Pitty is that the airport management has only eyes for TUI same for OST.

[Passenger]

Railway station at Antwerp Airport? Too complicated for NMBS/SNCB:

http://www.gva.be/cnt/dmf20170329_02806 ... rp-airport

[DIBO]

With Berchem trainstation offering trains in all directions, at 2km from ANR's frontdoor, with a busconnection at least 3x/hr (late Sunday evening) to 5x/hr (daytime weekdays) for a 11 min. short ride, I understand NMBS/SNCB's lack of intrest in buidling an airport trainstation. The longterm airport parking is 1 km from ANR's frontdoor, Berchem station 2 km. If you put all this in perspective, I can't understand they ever dreamt of having an airport trainstation...

[Passenger]

Work in progress:
http://www.gva.be/cnt/dmf20170403_02814 ... urne-eruit

[sn26567]

ASL Group and Jet Netherlands have obtained formal EASA approval to start training at their new EPTC subsidiary in Antwerp-Deurne, Belgium.

[pinoa]

we do not want to discuss tui airlines here, but antwerp airport. a couple of days ago, my business partner and myself were flying to london from antwerp. my partner is french speaking, at the belair (what's in a name) restaurant he asked, in french, if it was possible to have a coffee. the waiter (?) told him, i was standing next to him : 'hie klaape we aantwarps, in charleroi, doa klaape ze fraans'.......
talking about an 'international (sic) airport'.....
antwerp airport: bye bye.....