July 23, 2025
Charleroi Airport has received a new environmental permit from the Walloon government. The permit for Brussels South Charleroi Airport is valid for 20 years. The cargo-specialized Liège Airport has also received a new environmental permit. The new permit comes with several conditions related to noise pollution and the environment. Adjusted noise rules and quota to […]
July 22, 2025
As part of the summer agreement, the Belgian government, under the leadership of Bart De Wever (N-VA), has approved the renewal of the boarding tax on flights. This is what the newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws reports. The agreement also confirms that the tax applies retroactively: even those who have already purchased their ticket may be […]
July 15, 2025
The aircraft maintenance company Sabena Engineering has inaugurated a new hangar at Brussels Airport. Among other things, it will take care of the Belgian army’s A400M military transport aircraft. The hangar has a surface area of 6,000 m². The first aircraft will be able to be serviced there by the end of the summer. Sabena […]
July 14, 2025
Heathrow Airport wants to invest 10 billion pounds, or 11,6 billion euros, to redesign terminals and improve punctuality using artificial intelligence. The London airport has submitted an investment plan for this purpose to the British Aviation Authority. 10 million passengers extra The project should eventually increase capacity by 12%, up to more than 70,000 m² […]
July 11, 2025
The Portuguese government has been toying with the idea of privatizing the airline TAP Air Portugal for some time. It has now relaunched that operation. In the process, 49,9% will be sold. Major European airline groups, such as Air France-KLM, IAG (British Airways, Iberia) and Lufthansa are interested. “We believe we can complete the privatization […]
July 01, 2025
Lufthansa’s planned entry into Latvian airline airBaltic has been approved by the German competition authority. The German airline group will now have a 10% stake in airBaltic, which has Riga as its central hub. Otherwise, airBaltic’s main shareholder remains the government of Latvia. The entry involves a sum of € 14 million. Although the deal […]
June 27, 2025
The increase in the flight tax that the De Wever government wants to introduce will cost Brussels Airlines 1 million euros. So, write the business newspapers L’Echo and De Tijd. Indeed, it turns out that the increase also applies to tickets that were already purchased before the introduction of the new law, usually on July […]
June 25, 2025
Although the average CO2 emissions per passenger per km are on average up to 10 times higher for a private jet flight compared to a regular scheduled flight, the demand for private flights in Belgium is five times higher than in the rest of Europe. According to the business newspaper L’Echo, which bases its figures […]
June 23, 2025
Brussels Airlines expects nearly 2 million passengers in July and August, the airline reports. That’s 600,000 more than a year earlier. To cope with this influx of passengers, the Lufthansa subsidiary will deploy a fleet of 50 aircraft, or six more than last year. Among other things, Brussels Airlines is adding an extra Airbus 320 […]
June 18, 2025
Two years after the European consumer organization BEUC filed a complaint, airlines are still engaging in greenwashing, or using misleading environmental claims, according to Testaankoop/Test Achats and its European umbrella organization, BEUC. While the situation has “slightly improved,” greenwashing remains the norm in the airline industry, according to the consumer organizations. Still a widespread practice […]
June 17, 2025
The Belgian air traffic controller Skeyes has developed a digital platform that publishes drone flight data in real-time. The platform was officially certified on Monday by the Federal Public Service Mobility at the Skeyes site in Steenokkerzeel (Belgium). It marks a new step toward an airspace where both drones and manned aircraft can fly safely. […]
June 16, 2025
Flanders will become the new largest shareholder of Brussels Airport. Through its investment company PMV, it will invest 2,77 billion euros in the airport located in Flemish Zaventem, acquiring a 39% stake in the airport operator. “We want to be in the cockpit when it comes to the future of our airport. If we don’t […]
June 13, 2025
More than 80% of Lufthansa’s flights arrived on time at its Frankfurt and Munich hubs this year. It provides the best punctuality figures in ten years for the German national airline. Yet, Lufthansa still faces several challenges to ensure punctuality. An increasing number of drone sightings and storms hamper operations, while a lack of technical […]
June 06, 2025
European transport ministers propose that air passengers will now be entitled to compensation only for flight delays of four hours or more. European legislation currently provides for compensation of three hours or more of delay if the airline is at fault. However, the proposal still requires approval from the European Parliament and the European Council. […]
June 03, 2025
Airlines have become slightly less optimistic about 2025. They now expect to carry just under five billion passengers, down from an earlier forecast of 5.22 billion, and generate $979 billion in revenue instead of the previously projected $1,000 billion. This update was shared by IATA, the global airline industry association, during its annual general meeting […]
June 02, 2025
The airline industry’s ambition to move to zero emissions by 2050 is in jeopardy. This was stated by IATA, the global airline umbrella organization, at a summit in New Delhi, India, to discuss the state of the industry. The aviation sector currently produces approximately 3% of global CO2 emissions; however, due to climate-skeptic policies, including […]
May 27, 2025
After the US, France now also has the necessary equipment to conduct fire resistance tests on aircraft engines. So reports the French business newspaper Le Figaro. The platform for aircraft engine fire research will be located at the French National Center for Aerospace Research (ONERA), 15 km south of Toulouse. The center, founded in 1968, […]
May 20, 2025
Ryanair’s net profit is down 16% compared to last year, to 1,6 billion euros. That’s according to figures for the fiscal year that ended at the end of March. The Irish low-cost carriers had to cut their prices by 7% to fill up planes. That strategy led to a record number of just over 200 […]
May 19, 2025
Airline ticket prices have risen sharply over the past few years, and the trend is not over yet. According to the Belgian statistics bureau Statbel, the average cost of tickets rose by 11,1% in April. That makes you pay as much as 71% more for a plane ticket today than you did 20 years ago, […]
May 14, 2025
The Belgian Nathan De Valck will be the new CEO of Deurne and Oostende airports. So reports the Gazet van Antwerpen. De Valck will start as the top executive there on June 16th. De Valck is currently with the air cargo company Worldwide Flight Services for the airports of Brussels and Liège. The French company […]
May 12, 2025
IAG, the group behind British Airways and Iberia, is expanding its fleet with 71 new aircraft. The orders are neatly divided between Boeing, an American manufacturer, and its European rival, Airbus. The order involves more than 20 billion dollars. The planes would be delivered between 2028 and 2033. IAD did not release how much specifically […]
May 07, 2025
Last year, the Dutch flew 100 billion km, or 2.5 million times around the world. This was calculated by the Knowledge Institute for Mobility Policy (KiM). It’s as many kilometers as the Dutch drive by car annually, but with the difference that half of all the kilometers flown are traveled by 9% of the Dutch […]
May 06, 2025
Aviation’s future is at risk if it does not undergo a fundamental transition, says ‘Call Aviation to Action,’ a group of more than 50 aviation executives urging the sector to become more sustainable. The Dutch initiative, which includes various people, including directors, pilots, and technicians, believes that aviation cannot possibly continue on its current course […]
May 03, 2025
Trade tensions between the United States and Europe may cloud the important summer airline season. So says Lufthansa, pointing to changed consumer behavior due to economic uncertainty. Brussels Airlines, a subsidiary of the German airline group, suffered an adjusted operating loss (EBIT) of 53 million euros during the first quarter of this year. However, because […]
April 29, 2025
CO2 emissions from planes taking off from a European airport last year are back almost at the same level as in 2019, before the Covid-19 crisis. So, Transport & Environment (T&E) reports. The NGO that fights for more environmentally friendly transportation calls the airlines’ promise to return greener after the coronavirus pandemic “a joke.” Last […]
April 22, 2025
Brussels Airport will invest half a billion euros in infrastructure to accommodate the passenger growth expected in the coming years. The project involves the construction of a new intermodal hub, an expansion of the departure and arrival hall, a new hotel, a new drop-off zone, and a green boulevard with a park. The investment is […]
April 16, 2025
China has ordered its airlines to stop taking further deliveries from Boeing, the US manufacturer that, along with Airbus, ranks as one of the world’s largest aircraft producers. This reports news agency Bloomberg. This is a retaliatory measure in the trade war launched by US President Donald Trump. Beijing has also asked Chinese airlines to […]
April 03, 2025
Irish airline Ryanair ended its fiscal year with a record: for the first time in its history, it rounded the 200 million passenger mark. The airline says it is the first time a European airline has done so. Based on passenger figures, Lufthansa, which includes Brussels Airlines, is the number two airline in Europe. That […]
April 02, 2025
Between 2019 and 2023, business flights fell by 34%. That’s according to a new report by the NGO Transport & Environment. However, 44% of the 326 companies in the Travel Smart ranking still have no target applying to business travel, putting overall progress at risk. Especially the disproportionate flying of private jets by large companies […]
March 28, 2025
Europe’s major airlines think that Europe’s ReFuel legislation is not going to succeed in creating the affordable market for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) that is promised. They said this at a press conference in Brussels. They fear there will not be enough production. The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) report, released on Thursday, predicts a shortfall […]
March 27, 2025
Brussels Airlines has presented its new themed aircraft, an Airbus A320 painted with a design based on the Atomium. The theme was chosen after a design competition. The first commercial flight of ‘Atomium’ is scheduled today toward Prague. However, on Monday, it will most likely not fly. Due to the general strike in Belgium directed […]
March 24, 2025
Brussels Airport is adding six new destinations to its network this summer, starting on March 30th. These destinations are both within Europe and intercontinental. Passengers will be able to fly directly from Brussels Airport to 180 destinations offered by 68 airlines. Some new summer destinations, such as Curaçao (TUI fly) and Bangkok (Thai Airways International), […]
March 20, 2025
French logistics group CMA CGM, best known for its container ships, has also submitted a bid to take over cargo operations with airline Air Belgium. The cargo operations of the judicially reorganized Air Belgium were first to be taken over by Air One Belgium. But about two weeks ago, the Nivelles business court reversed that […]
March 20, 2025
Four scientists from KU Leuven, the University of Ghent, and Transport and Mobility Leuven have concluded that it makes no sense to choose the train instead of the plane for trips within the European Union to emit less CO2. Due to the European emission ceilings, someone else will emit the saved CO2 anyway. The Emission […]
March 19, 2025
The Belgian FPS Mobility registered 277 reports on unruly airline passengers in 2024, according to the newspaper Le Soir. Although FPS Mobility does not have precise statistics on in-flight aggression, crew testimony shows that alcohol and nicotine addiction often play a role in incidents. Indeed, according to the figures on the in-flight incident count of […]
March 17, 2025
Space X boss Elon Musk wants Starship to make its first trip to Mars by the end of 2026, with the humanoid robot Tesla Optimus aboard. He said three to five years later, he could follow flights with humans. “The Starship will leave for Mars late next year, with Optimus on board. If landings go […]
March 14, 2025
The works for the first phase of the streetcar connection between Brussels Airport and the NATO headquarters in Haren will start at the end of this year. So reports De Werkvennootschap, which is coordinating the project. It involves the construction of the streetcar and bicycle viaduct over the Brussels Ring in Machelen. The works should […]
March 13, 2025
According to communications from Wanfeng to investors, Chinese concern Wanfeng wants to acquire Volocopter, the German maker of flying cabs that take off vertically. Volocopter initiated bankruptcy proceedings late last year and hoped for a relaunch with new investors. Wanfeng wants to acquire the start-up for 10 million euros. Pioneer Volocopter makes vertically rising electric […]
March 12, 2025
The Air France-KLM Group and Lufthansa aim for a stake in Spanish airline Air Europa. According to Spanish online media El Confidential, they have each submitted separate bids to enter Air Europa’s capital for 300 million and 240 million euros, respectively. Air Europa is Spain’s third-largest airline after Iberia and Vueling. The airline also operates […]
March 06, 2025
Brussels Airlines posted another record profit last year thanks to a “very successful” second half of the year. Adjusted operating profit (ebit) went up 11% to 59 million euros, a new record. The airline also expects “significant growth” for this year. “During the first half of the year we faced some challenges, which did not allow […]
March 03, 2025
Commercial lunar lander Blue Ghost 1 from the American space company Firefly Aerospace successfully landed on the moon on Sunday. It is the second private lunar lander in history to land on the moon’s surface successfully. Flight controllers in Austin watched as the Blue Ghost descended on the moon’s surface and erupted in cheers as […]
February 28, 2025
For years, the Brussels Capital Region has been demanding compliance with Brussels noise standards to limit noise pollution at Brussels Airport. The French-speaking court of first instance in Brussels has once again condemned the Belgian state for the excessive nuisance caused by night flights over the capital. At the same time, it increased the penalty […]
February 26, 2025
Transavia, Air France-KLM’s low-cost airline, will impose an additional surcharge on recent tickets purchased for flights departing from France. The increase is due to the country’s rise in air travel taxes. This rises from 2.63 euros to 7.4 euros for domestic or European flights and doubles to 15 euros for non-European destinations. Remarkably, Air France […]
February 21, 2025
European aerospace group Airbus made a net profit of 4.2 billion euros last year, or a 12% increase. The profit came mainly from the strong demand for Airbus aircraft. Sales rose 6% to 69.2 billion euros. Airbus delivered 766 commercial aircraft last year, including 602 from the A320 family. Airbus plans to increase the number […]
February 19, 2025
Belgian legislation on ultralight motorized aircraft (ULMs) had been renewed after 26 years. This also makes it possible to fly ultralight helicopters and autogiros in Belgium, the Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport reports. The maximum allowable mass of a ULM will also be increased. The new regulations better reflect today’s reality. ULM is an […]
February 14, 2025
Aircraft taking off move an enormous amount of air. The American company JetWind Power Corporation now wants to use the jet wind that is released to generate energy. In this way, airplanes, which are polluting because they usually run on kerosene and emit CO2, can still contribute to sustainability. The idea is not revolutionary. In […]
February 12, 2025
Last year, travelers offset their air travel emissions by purchasing approximately 28,000 tons of CO2 equivalents (CO2e) through the Brussels-based climate consultancy agency Greentripper. The organization uses ‘CO2 equivalent’ because this takes into account all greenhouse gases, not just CO2. According to Greentripper’s data, last year’s result is a status quo compared to 2023. The precise […]
February 10, 2025
European aircraft manufacturer Airbus’s development of the hydrogen aircraft is proceeding slower than expected, it says in a statement to the French news agency AFP. In doing so, Airbus is responding to a union pamphlet stating that the aircraft manufacturer has pushed back the target date for the aircraft’s entry into service by five to […]
February 05, 2025
There will not be a train station at Charleroi Airport after all. That is what the new Minister of Mobility, Climate and Environmental Transition Jean-Luc Crucke (ex MR, but Les Engagés since 2023) told his predecessor Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) during the power transfer. “It would cost way too much. We cannot spend public money this […]
February 03, 2025
Antwerp-based transport company ADLC, which offers transportation by drones to companies, has raised 2 million euros in fresh capital. With that additional money, the company plans to further expand its services in the maritime and offshore industry. From now on, DronePort in Sint-Truiden, at the former air force base in Brustum, Limburg, will also be […]
January 31, 2025
Travel by air has never been more popular. Last year, airlines worldwide counted around 4.89 billion passengers, an improvement from the record of 4.54 billion in 2019, the International Organization of Airlines (IATA) announced. The average aircraft load factor reached 83.5%, which is also a record. IATA expects global air traffic to increase by 8% […]
January 30, 2025
London Heathrow Airport, Europe’s largest airport, will get a third runway. The British government supports the idea and is inviting proposals to be brought forward by the summer. “A third runway at Heathrow will lead to growth, boost investment, and make the United Kingdom more open and connected,” said British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel […]
January 28, 2025
Due to track works, there will be fewer trains to Brussels Airport train station from February 1st to 21st and the weekend of March 1st and 2nd. A transfer or bus connection will be necessary for specific trips. Railroad manager Infrabel is renewing the tracks in Zaventem for the airport connection. In addition, a switch […]
January 28, 2025
The very first flight to Congo took off from Belgium on Thursday, February 12th, 100 years ago. Especially for this anniversary, a milestone for Belgian aviation, bpost is issuing a unique stamp. Two truly Belgian companies, bpost and Brussels Airlines, are joining forces for this purpose. The new stamp features a photo montage of the […]
January 27, 2025
European aircraft maker Airbus is ceasing operations with Airbus Beluga Transport (AiBT), its cargo company, for exceptional transport. The company used specially developed megaplanes, ‘Beluga ST’. It involved 75 jobs. “Global demand for cargo transport by aircraft remains strong,” said Airbus. “But we have found that certain activities have shifted to shipping.” In addition, the […]
January 24, 2025
According to the Belgian business newspaper De Tijd, Austrian energy and chemical giant OMV has advanced plans to build a refinery in the port of Antwerp. At the Kallo plant, waste streams such as used frying oil and other vegetable or animal fats from the food and agricultural sectors could be converted into sustainable aviation […]
January 23, 2025
According to formateur Bart De Wever (N-VA), the so-called ‘Arizona coalition’ is gradually entering the final straight line for forming a new federal government. One notable mobility measure on the table is that Charleroi Airport would get a connection to the rail network. This is according to a leak to the newspaper La Libre Belgique, […]
January 21, 2025
Brussels Airport is launching a pilot project to sell the power generated by its solar panels to 100 households in four neighboring municipalities. The airport operator promises a discount of about 124 euros off an average household’s annual electric energy bill. Collaboration with energy platform Bolt The pilot project is being run in collaboration with […]
January 17, 2025
Hungarian low-budget airline company Wizz Air, which operates at Charleroi Airport (Belgium), has “successfully” tested sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on more than fifty flights. Wizz Air operated more than fifty flights using a blend of SAF and traditional jet fuel and also surveyed passengers to gauge awareness and attitudes toward low-carbon aviation, including SAF. The […]
January 16, 2025
German Jörg Eberhart, a manager at Lufthansa, will become the new CEO of ITA Airways, the state-owned airline that emerged from bankrupt Alitalia. The Italian state’s designation thus also formalizes the German group’s entry into ITA Airways’ capital. Italian Lorenza Maggio, vice president of sales of Lufthansa for Europa, the Middle East, and Africa, will […]
