June 2008

Belgian cargo company Cargo B Airlines is forced to lower its capability during the summer months as the planned third Boeing 747-200F acquisition is not materialising while one of its current two cargo 747's is undergoing deep maintenance. Capacity for the summer period thus falls back on a single Jumbo freighter. Source: Luchtvaartnieuws. 

Scenario: During the Air Day at Koksijde airbase a C-130H Hercules lands on the runway, hits a car which starts to burn and ends up on a public road. Due to this two other cars are involved in a frontal collision while a cyclist is also injured. In total twelve persons are injured and one killed. Because there is an air show in progress, the various emergency services are already available while others are on their way to the disaster scene. This scenario was orchestrated for an emergency drill preparing for the Koksijde Air Day on August 28th. It is an annual obligation that must be maintained before every major event such as an air show. The outcome of this Post-Crash Management (PCM) exercise was positive. Only a few classic communication problems between the army and civil services due to the use of different equipment were noted but this problem will be resolved by the use of liaison officers. Source: Mil.be

27/06 - Heavy losses for Sonaca over first six months of 2008.

According to the daily paper "Le Soir" Charleroi based aerospace company Sonaca has accumulated losses of 15 to 20 million Euros for the first halve of 2008. A2ccording to the same source Sonaca is one of the many European aerospace sector victims of the very weak Dollar in which most of the business is done while production costs are calculated in Euros.  Source and more information at 7sur7

Medevac equipped Agusta A109BA Hirundu H-06 of the Wing Heli of the Air Component has crashed at 10h13 local time at Halleux, some 5 km West of La Roche-en-Ardennes. According to the first information the pilot (Christel Struyven) and co-pilot (Peter Thijs) suffered multiple fractures while the passengers (a doctor and his assistant) suffered light injuries. Both pilots where airlifted to the CHU of Liège while the passengers were transported by road to a hospitals at Leuven and Marche-en-Famenne. The medevac helicopter was supporting the "Marche européenne du Souvenir et de l'Amitié ( MESA) - Europese Mars van de Herdenking en de Vriendschap (EMHV)"  walk. Source: Belga - Mil.be in NL & FR

N° 15 Transport Wing PR service provided us with the first pictures of the special tail markings on Lockheed C-130H Hercules CH-07 applied for the 60th anniversary of the 15th Wing. The aircraft still needs to receive some finishing touches over the next weekend but CH-07 will be ready for the Defence Days organised at Florennes airbase on 5 and 6 July 2008. This Hercules will also be the "star of the show" at the Open Door at Melsbroek airbase organised on September 14th to celebrate the 60 anniversary of the 15th Transport wing in style. Source: 15th Wing PR (Thx) - Pictures:   01  -  02  -  03  -  04

26/06 - First A400M Military Transporter Rolled Out

In a ceremony presided over by King Juan Carlos I of Spain, Airbus Military has today rolled out the first complete A400M military transport aircraft from the Final Assembly Line facility in Seville, Spain.  Designed initially to a recognised requirement for a new airlifter for European air forces, the A400M incorporates the state-of-the-art materials and technology that are being continuously perfected in today’s civil aircraft fleets. Features such as electronic flight controls, carbon composite structures and an automated handling system will bring new standards of operability and safety to military aircrews.  Launched under a single contract in 2003 with 180 orders for seven European launch customers, the A400M represents the most ambitious military procurement programme ever undertaken in Europe. The launch customer nations, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom were subsequently joined by Malaysia and South Africa, which recognised the potential of the new airlifter for their own requirements and brought the total number of commitments to 192. The initial contract, worth some 20 billion Euros was signed with a single interface between Airbus Military and OCCAR, (Organisation Conjointe de Coordination en matière d’Armement), the contractual body representing all seven European customer nations).  Versatility is the characteristic that best describes the A400M, it being conceived with both tactical and strategic capability. With a payload of up to 37 tonnes over ranges of up to 4700 nm, the A400M is designed to carry all loads and vehicles in the European Staff Requirement (ESR) inventory, serve as an aerial delivery platform and act as an in-flight refueller for both fast jets and helicopters. The A400M is the first truly new military transport aircraft of its category designed in over 30 years, with twice the capacity and twice the payload of the current aircraft types that it will replace. It is all set to become the new standard in military airlift. Source: EADS  -  Pictures by Eddy "Bink" Kellens COA-IPR:  01  -  02  -  03

26/06 - Air Component Sea King rescue helicopter scrambled for an emergency near Dover (U.K.)

A Dover Lifeboat crew and a Belgian rescue helicopter were scrambled to rescue a man taken ill on board a dive ship off the Kent coast. The lifeboat went to the ship, called Neptune, 16 miles east north east of Dover, following reports a man on board was suffering from symptoms akin to either a cardiac problem or a stroke. While on their way, the Belgian Air Force Sea King helicopter set off, with two members of the helicopter crew later winched down to the boat. The helicopter lifted the casualty off and took him to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital at Margate. Source: KentOnline

The new Defence plan of Minister Pieter De Crem not only includes shrinking the total Defence manpower with another 3.300 men (to reach 37.725 men by 2011) while the force being optimised both capabilities and equipment, it also foresees the sale of some more F-16 fighters (12 aircraft), some Agusta A109BA helicopters and both Airbus A310 transports. Both of the Airbus aircraft will be replaced by new machines of the same capabilities. Read the complete Defence plan as pdf document in NL and FR

Fifty-five percent of passengers using Brussels Airport for their travels live in Belgium, 4.9% comes from France, 4.5% from the United States, 4.4% from the United Kingdom, while 2.5 % have the Dutch nationality. Ninety-one percent of all travellers have Brussels as their departure or arrival location, which mean means that only 9% of the passengers at Brussels Airport are passing through the airport to get a connection to another destination. These are some of the results of a poll among some 40.000 passengers organised at Brussels Airport over 2007. More interesting results can be found at Luchtvaartnieuws.

Around 13h45 local time, Piper Super Cub D-EFXY was towing a glider in the air when the aircraft collided with a hangar of a construction company in the Luchtvaartstraat at Kiewit. According to first reports the aircraft could have been caught by a gust of wind. Luckily the pilot survived the crash and was freed by the fire brigade of Hasselt. The glider pilot was able to uncouple in time at landed safely. Source: KBx  -   picture of crashed aircraft.

20/06 - US Army has expressed its concern over the safety at Kleine Brogel airbase.

The US army has expressed its concern over the safety at Kleine Brogel and the other European military bases that store American nuclear arms, a document has revealed. Reportedly, the US army has visited all European military bases that store nuclear arms. Seven air bases are said to have received a visit by the Americans and Kleine Brogel was one of them (see BAHA news of 18/06/2008). According to the report that was leaked to the press, the inspection teams found there were considerable differences between the bases. Not all bases employ the same number of staff and some work with old-fashioned material. Some bases are clearly in need of repair work. The Americans are particularly unhappy about the fact that on some bases, conscripts and union members are in charge of the surveillance of nuclear weapons. The report does not explicitly state which bases fall short. According to a US research group, the most striking flaws were found in Italy. In a statement, Mayor Theo Kelchtermans of the municipality of Peer where Kleine Brogel is situated says he is unaware of any reports of safety problems at the base. “Just two months ago, an American general came here with a team of experts and carried out a thorough inspection. The overall conclusion was that the security at Kleine Brogel meets the standard. I dare say there’s no reason for concern,” Mr Kelchtermans says. The Belgian Ministry of Defence has refrained from commenting. The official stand is that there are no American nuclear weapons at the military base of Kleine Brogel. Source: VRT-Flandersnews.  More information at Megachip

Between June 16th and 27th, six Aero L-159 ALCA (Advanced Light Combat Aircraft) of Caslav based N° 212 Squadron, Czech Air Force are based at Kleine Brogel as part of a Squadron Exchange with the Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) Squadron. This unit maintains excellent contacts for many years with Caslav Airbase. In June last year the OCU was guest in the Czech Republic for a similar Squadron Exchange. During their 14 day stay the Czech aircraft perform multiple operations together with Belgian F-16's. N°s 31 "Tiger" Sqn and 349 "F" Sqn, the other operational Squadrons of the 10 W TAC, support the flying. The detachment of the Czech Air Force consists out of 40 people. Source: Mil. be

USAFE Commander General Roger Brady visited Kleine Brogel and Volkel (Nl.) airbases to watch both their Munitions Support Squadrons in action in light of recent issues with weapons safety found at other bases. Colonel Lee Wight, 52nd Fighter Wing Commander and Chief Master Sgt. Bruce Kenney, 52nd Fighter Wing Command Chief where also present to witness both units for the first time. "Both units are part of the team. This is a critical part of the 52nd Fighter Wing mission," said Colonel Wight, "It's interesting and important for us to see what they do and how they do it, and we were impressed by their professionalism". Source:  Spangdalhem AFB site

Brussels Airlines significantly increases its offer to Africa thanks to a new code share agreement with Ethiopian Airlines. As from this week, Brussels Airlines will sell tickets for the daily Brussels – Addis Ababa flights operated by Ethiopian. Ethiopia was so far lacking in Brussels Airlines' large African network. Thanks to this new code share agreement, Brussels Airlines passengers can now travel daily between the European and Ethiopian capitals. Ethiopian Airlines will operate this code share service to/from Brussels with a Boeing 767-300 offering a cabin layout of 30 seats in business class (the 'Cloud Nine Class') and 206 seats in economy class. The aircraft is equipped with advanced in-flight audio and video entertainment channels. The flights depart in the evening - from either Addis Ababa or Brussels Airport- and reach their destination the next morning, offering very good connections in both directions to/from more than 30 destinations served by Brussels Airlines within Europe. In Addis Ababa, Ethiopian serves a network of not less than 70 domestic and international destinations out of their modern hub airport at Addis Ababa, including flights to 24 different African countries. Source: The African Monitor & Air Transport News

The timing of a test flight for the Airbus A400M military transport aircraft, currently planned for this summer, is coming under strain, the chief executive Louis Gallois of Airbus parent EADS told a press conference. "The plane is complicated, the engine is complicated and the interface is also complex." Gallois said. He noted that the A400M military transporter programme was already six months behind schedule and there is now a possibility of another six-month delay. A German press report said Airbus faced fresh delays in the programme stemming from communication problems between French and Spanish partners as well as cooperation hiccups with sub-contractors. The problems are mainly centred on cabin and cockpit construction and the plane's engines. The official “roll out” of the first A400M is nonetheless expected at the Seville factory on June 26th, 2008. Source: Silobreaker

Brussels Airport has appointed Ruben Sicking as its operations manager. Born in the Netherlands, Sicking was already "airside" director at Schiphol and managing director of Lelystad Airport. The new job of "Director of Operations" is new to Brussels Airport and oversees all operational services at the airport at Zaventem. Source and more information: Luchtvaartnieuws.

13/06 - A400M: Ground runs for TP-400 engine on C-130 test-bed and props installed on prototype.

The second week of June saw the first ground run of the A400M’s TP-400 engine fitted to the Marshall-owned C-130 Hercules Flying Test Bed (FTB). After overcoming some technical difficulties due to unforeseen integration problems, the 10,000 shaft horsepower engine was run up for the first time in Cambridge, UK on June 10th.  At the same time the first production aircraft, A400M MSN 001, has had its propellers fitted at the Final Assembly Line in Seville. All four of the huge Ratier-Figeac / Hamilton Sundstrand propellers have now been integrated with the engines on the wings of a/c No 001. Source and more information: www.airbusmilitary - pictures:  01  -  02

Belgian aeronautical authorities have decided to reopen runway 02/20 at Zaventem. This runway is the shortest of three runways of Brussels Airport and was closed since the May 25th aborted take-off and crash of a Boeing 747 freighter of US company Kalitta Air. The repairs to the Instrument Landing System (ILS) could take several more months. Source: Luchtvaartnieuws

The United Kingdom based freight carrier MK Airlines has suspended all its flight to and from Oostende Airport following rumours of bankruptcy. MK Airlines is one of the most important freight users of the coastal airport and its disappearance could have a major impact on the airport's traffic. Source: VRTNieuws

11/06 - Exercise Poppy 05 demonstrates new capabilities for Air Support to Ground Operations.

Exercise Poppy 05 held in the Bertrix region (Ardennes) was aimed at training troops in new tactics, technical environment, procedures and equipment which could be used in during peace-keeping missions abroad. In order to show the new integrated capabilities, Comopsland - 3D organised a demonstration of Air Support to Ground Operations by means of Forward Air Controllers (FAC's) taking advantage of the new capabilities offered by the  Sniper targeting pods used by the participating F-16AM fighters. One of the highlights was the possibility of transferring the Sniper pod's image on the FAC's laptop in real time. Pictures:  01  -  02   

A Brussels Airlines flight carrying 161 passengers and a crew of 10 aborted its takeoff from Abidjan International Airport (Ivory Coast) on Wednesday evening (21h45 UTC). Several passengers suffered minor injuries while making an emergency evacuation. One of the pilots of the Airbus 330-300 OO-SFN told the passengers he had avoided takeoff after hearing a loud popping sound which he thought was a tire exploding. A fire truck raced to the runway and quickly extinguished one burning tire. By stopping on the runway and blocking it at about 9 p.m., the plane caused officials to close the airport to all incoming and outgoing flights. The pilot initially told passengers to remain in their seats. But suddenly the crew started shouting, «Evacuate! Evacuate!» The doors of the plane opened, and everyone raced down the emergency slides. Several passengers suffered minor injuries such as bruises and sprained ankles during the evacuation. The passengers initially ran into a grassy area alongside the runway, then some walked and some rode airport vehicles back to the terminal. Source: PR-Inside -  picture of aircraft involved

 On 11 June 2008 in the presence of several military and civil authorities the change of command of the Wing heli on the military basis of Luik-Bierset took place. The new Commander of the Wing, Colonel Aviator Brecx, is officially recognised by the Air Component Commander (ACC), Luitenant General Aviator PSC Gérard Van Caelenberghe and replaces Colonel Aviator Olivier COLMANT, lr. Source: Mil.be

In the investigation into fraud at the Belgian airliner Sabena (bankrupt in 2001) former top executives have been officially placed under suspicion. This includes CEO at the time of the bankruptcy Pierre Godfroid and company auditor Pierre Berger from KPMG, one the largest professional services companies in the world. Nine people are under suspicion of fiscal fraud. Source: VRTNieuws

For the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the 15th Air Transport Wing, Lockheed C-130H Hercules CH-07 is to receive a special decoration. The machine will be presented for the first time to the general public during the Defence days organised at Florennes airbase on 05 and 06 July 2007 and will form the highlight at the special Open Door of the 15th Air Transport Wing at Melsbroek airbase organised on Sunday September 14th 2008. Follow this link for a first glance of CH-07 in progress of receiving its special paint scheme.

British budget airline easyJet has inaugurated its fourth link from Brussels Airport. Next to Geneva, Berlin and Nice easyJet now offers a daily connection between Zaventem and Milan Malpensa. This years easyJet expects to fly 350.000 passengers from Brussels and hopes to raise this total to 450.000 over 2009.  Source: Luchtvaartnieuws

07/06 - Sabena Flight Academy sold to Canadian group CAE.

The Canadian Group CAE, the world leader in providing simulation/modelling technologies and integrated training solutions for the civil aviation industry and defence forces around the globe, has bought Sabena Flight Academy (SFA) for 39 million Euro. One third of the shares value of 25 million Euros will be recovered by the guardianship of bankrupt airline Sabena. Besides at Zaventem where it operates six advanced flight simulators SFA also has a pilotschool in Arizona (USA) and employs some 50 persons. Source: De Standaard

Belgian holiday airline Jetairfly is to serve four destinations from Brussels South Charleroi Airport (BSCA) as of October 24th 2008. Destinations to be served twice weekly are Oujda and Nador in Morocco and Tenerife and Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands (Spain).  Charleroi is the fourth airport used by Jetairfly after Oostende, Brussels and Liège. Source: Luchtvaartnieuws

For the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Belgian Air Component's 15th Transport Wing a new book will be released on September 14th during the special "Open Door day of the 15 the Air Transport Wing at Melsbroek. The study by Piet Claes called "Historiek 15de Wing" in Dutch and “Historique du 15ième Wing” in French is an initiative of the v.z.w. Dakota and is published by Flying Pencil. Detailed information can be found on the attached pdf. file.or at the Flying Pencil  website. More information on the Melsboek event at Mil.be

Ryanair is soon to open scheduled flights between Charleroi airport and Gdansk, Krakow and Poznan in Poland. According to some sources new flights will also be added to Bratislava (Slovakia) and Riga (Latvija). Ryanair also intends to link Charleroi with Fez, Marrakech and Tangier in Morocco and Santander and Palma de Mallorca in Spain. The French city of Montpellier and British Manchester are likely to be added soon as well. All these new destinations indicate that Ryanair is to add two new aircraft from its important hub at Charleroi Airport. Source: De Standaard

The Belgian Defence homepage has published the list of airshow participants for the Defence Days which will be organised at Florennes airbase on the weekend of 5 & 6 June 2008.  Besides the always popular Patrouille de France and Turkish Stars aerobatic teams and almost every item in the inventory of the Belgian Air Component one of the most remarkable participants will be the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress of the United States Air Force. Since many years the presence of US aircraft was kept to a strict minimum but Florennes can count on the presence of two F-15E's , a KC-135 Stratotanker and a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III besides the B-52. See the complete list of participants on Mil.be in NL and FR

Five Indian Air Force HAL (Hindustan Aeronautical Limited) Advanced Light Helicopters or Druv’s of the Sarang display team paid a visit to Melsbroek airbase to refuel on their way from the ILA at Berlin to Biggin Hill International Air Fair. The Biggin Hill appearance will be followed by displays at the Waddington Air Show on 05-06 July 2008 and the Fairford Royal International Air Tattoo on 12-13 July 2008 which will commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Royal Air Force. Picture by Piet De Win of Comopsair:  1  -  2

03/06 - All four turbo-engines installed on first A400M military transport aircraft

All four TP400-D6 engines have now been installed on the wing of A400M MSN 001. The work was completed at the end of week 20 at “Station 35” of the Final Assembly Line (FAL) at Seville, where the first A400M is being readied for its roll out in front of an international public towards the end of June this year. Engine installation is followed by the mounting of the four huge, eight-bladed Ratier Figeac propellers, which, together with the 11,000 shaft horsepower of each engine, make up the power plant combination that will provide the driving force of the A400M. The four 5.3 metre diameter propellers driven by the combined 44,000 shp of the engines will enable the A400M to attain cruising speeds of up to 430kts (true airspeed). This is an outstanding performance for a turbo-prop, which compares favourably with that of some turbo-jet powered aircraft. Source and pics: http://www.airbusmilitary.com/press.html

Philippe Vander Putten Chief Executive (CEO) and managing director of Brussels Airlines is resigning after an internal disagreement within the airline’s administration due to “divergences of view” over plans to divide the responsibilities at the top of the company and reformulate the role of the chief executive officer. The carrier was quick to act after the resignation and has already called upon two directors to take over the CEO’s duties; Michel Meyfroidt, who currently serves as Brussels Airlines chief financial officer and Bernard Gustin, an airline consultant. Vander Putten had played a key role in transforming Belgium’s carrier. Originally, the former CEO stood at the helm of SN Brussels Airlines, one of the current airline’s predecessors, and he also spearheaded this airline’s merger with Virgin Express in 2006. The two carriers then joined to form a reborn Brussels Airlines, which now uses a mixed full service and low cost model.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents 240 airlines in more than 160 countries, has implemented its deadline for the issuance of paperless tickets. As of Saturday 31/05 midnight, the systems used to print paper tickets at more than 70,000 travel agencies worldwide, from Africa to Russia to the Middle East and China will be disabled and their inventories of blank tickets expropriated. The switch to electronic ticketing is expected to save the industry US$3-billion a year, according to IATA figures. While it costs up to $10 to process one paper ticket, it costs only about $1 to produce an e-ticket, the organization says. An interesting side effect is the fact that this measure can save annually some 50.000 trees providing the customers do not print their electronic ticket at home.  Source: Financial Post.

01/06 - Cliffhanging Kalitta Air Boeing 747 cargo aircraft stabilized and being unloaded

During the first days after its crash, around 70 tonnes of fuel have been pumped out of the wreck of Kalitta Air Boeing 747-209F N704CK at Brussels-Zaventem airport. After that, the aircraft’s fuselage was stabilised with earth to prevent it from moving during off-loading its 76 tonnes of freight. The Boeing’s nose has been fixed with cables and a net to prevent it from sliding into the 10 metres deep railway bed over which it is hanging partly. In the early morning of June 1st, off-loading started after cutting open the top fuselage. By noon the upper deck was empty. Pictures by Jos Schoofs: 01  -  02  -  03

King Albert II of Belgium visited Beauvechain airbase and was briefed on the future deployment of more Belgian troops and equipment to Afghanistan. The King, accompanied by Minister of Defence, Pieter De Crem,  received expert information on the most recent equipment such as the night vision goggles (NVG) and the brand new Sniper advanced targeting pod for the four F-16AM which are to be deployed at Kandahar airbase in Afghanistan as from September 1st. For the moment some 260 men personnel are also being trained at Beauvechain prior to being deployed to Kabul to guard and protect the airport of the Afghan capital.  Pictures: 01  -  02

The Belgian Air Component has decided to scale down the annual Airshow/Open Door from a weekend event to a mid-week single day venue on August 28th, 2008.  As such the cost of flying can be reduced as participants are executing normally planned training missions which make the show much more cost-efficient. The event is now also being called "Koksijde Air Day 2008". More information at Mil.be

Courier company TNT, the largest operator of Liège airport want to stop all activities of Liège Handling Services (LHS) a new handling company created by Liège Airport and Aviapartner. LHS was created only 4 months ago and is actually negotiating its first contract. TNT sees the activities of LHS as direct competition of its activities and has started a juridical battle. Source:  7Sur7

Budget airline Wizzair is to expand its activities at Charleroi airport (BSCA) by launching new connections between Charleroi and the Bulgarian capital Sofia. Wizzair already links Charleroi with Warsaw, Bucharest and Katowice. Source: Het Laatste Nieuws

Kallita Air Boeing 747-209F/SCD N704CK (c/n 22299/462) crashed on take off from Brussels Airport runway 20 at Zaventem breaking up in three parts. Fortunately none of the five men crew aboard was injured but they were taken to hospital as a precaution. The cargo plane had made a stop-over at Zaventem when it took off for its final destination in the Gulf State of Bahrain on a "diplomatic flight" carrying 76 tonnes of freight. Several sources suggest that a burst tire triggered off the accident. Fire fighters from Brussels, Zaventem and Vilvoorde attended the scene. The provincial disaster plan was also put into effect. Source:VRT Flandersnews.be. Pictures: 01 by Kris Brackx, 02  -  03  by Eric Coeckelberghs  -  BAHA Special Feature: Cliffhanging Jumbo  -   N704CK inbetter days on Airliners.net

European aerospace group EADS (www.eads.com) plans to roll out the first of its new A400M heavy airlifters for its first public viewing on June 26. The four-engine turbo-prop aircraft will add urgently needed tactical and strategic airlift capacity to seven European NATO nations. But production has been delayed by 6 to 12 months, amid wrangling between developers over engine performance. The roll-out at the aircraft’s new production facility in Seville, southern Spain, will be a chance to wave the flag for Europe’s biggest military project under development but industry and investor eyes are firmly on the timing of its maiden flight. Source: Naval Open Source INTelligence

From July 1st 2008 Aviapartner Cargo will be responsible for all cargo handling of American carrier US Airways. The deal covers a three years period with a handling volume of some 33.000 tons annually at the airports of Brussels, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Zurich, Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, Rome and Venice. This is the largest contract ever signed in the history of Aviapartner Cargo. Source and more info at: De Tijd

The Niederrhein Starfighter owners are organising a photocall at Niederrhein (NRN) airport (D.) on Saturday 28 June 2008 from 10AM to 4PM. This is a unique opportunity for Starfighter lovers to come and photograph KG101, FX52 and FX69 who will all be outside their shelters in the QRA area. For driving directions enter Alte Zollstraße @51.605930, 6.163610 Niederrhein into your GPS or into Google Maps to find the entrance to the QRA. The gate will be open exceptionally on this date. Visitors are advised to bring food and drinks if you want to spend the day there as there are no facilities nearby. See also BAHA special features: Two Belgian Starfighters on the move and Granddad Tiger is back

The Flemish Government has announced that it will proceed with the public-private initiative for the renewal and management of Antwerp Airport. Negotiations are to start with the British consortium AIM (of which VLM Airlines and Flying Partners are members). To comply with international air traffic standards the airport at Deurne has to add a security area at the end of the runway which means that the Krijgsbaan (R11) will have to be moved eastwards while being lowered. At the same time a 9 hectare business park will be created offering some 3.500 new jobs. Source: Luchtvaartnieuws.

Famous Belgian wartime fighter pilot Ferdinand "Fifi" Verpoorten has passed away at the age of 87.  Having finished his flying training immediately before the war "Fifi" had joined the 2Aé. Executing an interdiction flight over Liège - Visé area on 20 April 1940, the flight consisting of  1Sgt Avi P. Delorme, Sgt R. Vandenbroeck and Sgt F. Verpoorten), managed to intercept an shoot at a Do-17, which crashed in the Dutch territory. During WWII "fIFI3 BECAME A Sergeant Pilot with N° 350 Sqn where he arrived at 12 January 1943. Rested on 19 April 1945, he joined the Belgian Training School. Discharged from RAF on 01 October 1946, he started a career a civilian pilot with Sabena where he retired in March 1977. Source and more information at the excellent website: World War 2: 350 (Belgian) Squadron.  Click here for the official death announcement.

Sabena technics has signed a 3 year contract with TNT Airways to perform the component support and engineering services of its B 737 fleet, comprising 10 aircraft. Sabena technics will equally provide line services from Brussels Airport. Under this agreement Sabena technics will perform component services over a period of three years on TNT Airways’ B737-300 freighters and quick-change aircraft as well as engineering services for an initial period of one year. The services will cover component repair and overhaul services including pool access and consignment stock located in Liege, TNT Airways’ main base and providing engineering support (continuing airworthiness monitoring). Sabena technics will accompany TNT in its development at Brussels Airport through the performance of line maintenance services on TNT Airways’ B737 aircraft. Source: Sabena technics

Preliminary work on the extension by 413 meters of the runway of Liège-Bierset has started this week while the actual extension will begin next year. According to the local paper "La Meuse" this extension could create at long term some 1.000 new jobs in and around the Belgium's fifth largest airport.  Source and more information: 7Sur7

Only 4 months after official inauguration the new Charleroi-Gosselies airport terminal is in need of expansion according to Walloon Minister of Transport André Antoine (CdH). The Charleroi airport authorities estimate to handle some 4 million passengers in 2009 while they project 7 million over 2010 and 15 million in 2015. These bright figures give Mr. Antoine the ambition to make Charleroi-Gosselies airport the number one in Belgium. Source: 7sur7.

From June 1st onwards Italian airline Air One starts two daily links between the airport of Zaventem and Rome (Fjumicino) followed one day later by flights to Milan (Malpensa). Air One which has a 37% share of the Italian airline market has transported some 7.5 million passengers over 2007. The Italian company handles 18 international, two intercontinental and 21 regional connections. Source: deredeactie.be

For the 2008 airshow season the Belgian Air Component has limited the number of aircraft types that will be demonstrated in flight to two types: the Lockheed F-16AM Fighting Falcon and the Agusta A109BA helicopter. For the third consecutive season the F-16AM will again be superbly demonstrated by Cdt. Michael 'Mickey" Artiges of the Florennes based 1st Squadron.  His first demo flight is foreseen next Sunday at the French Armée de 'Air base of Orange. Mickey will perform three times in Belgium: during the Defence Days at Florennes on 5 and 6 July at the Helchteren/Sanicole Meeting on 20 Jul, and on 30 and 31 August at the Koksijde airbase Open Door. Mickey will also present his specially decorate F-16AM FA-131 at the largest airshow of the year during the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) on 10 and 11 July at RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom. Lt. Rick (Richard) Jorrissen and Slt. Johnny Bossu have been designated to present the Wing Heli Agusta A109AB based at Bierset airbase. Most of the other Air Component hardware will be presented in the static display of numerous airshow throughout Europe. Source: Belga

15/05 - Fouga Magister MT-3 positioned as elegant roundabout eye catcher at St-Truiden

On Monday May 12th former "Red Devils" Fouga Magister MT-3 has been positioned as an elegant eye catcher on the roundabout in front of the main gate of the former Brustem airbase at St-Truiden. Having served for over 47 years with the Belgian Air Force the Fouga is one of the best known military aircraft in Belgium and closely linked to the city of St-Truiden and its former Brustem military base. Thousands of young pilots received their first "jet experience" at this location and on this aircraft so no better choice could have been made. Official inauguration is foreseen on Friday 16 May 2008. Pictures: 01  -  02

This morning the Air Component released the first official pictures of Alpha Jet AT-32 specially decorated to celebrate 1.000.000 hours flown by the Belgian Air Component and the French Armée de l'Air (hence the two flags represented in the tail). On May 21st this milestone will be celebrated in style at the Armée de l' Air base of Cazaux. Pictures by Eddy "Bink" Kellens: 01   -   02

 Boeing 737-4Q8 c/n 28202/3009 made its delivery flight to Brussels-Zaventem Airport in the early morning of Sunday 11 May 2008. The aircraft was already painted in Brussels Airlines colours, but still carried the registration number VT-SJB of its previous owner JetLite. It will be registered in Belgium as OO-VET. Boeing 737-4Q8 28202/3009 was built for the Los Angeles, California based aircraft sales and leasing company International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) and made its first flight on 2 March 1998. On 31 March 1998, the aircraft entered service with Pegasus Airlines, where it flew as TC-APP. The airliner was subleased to Winair on 2 November 1998 and to Oman Air on 20 November 1999. In both cases it retained its Turkish registration number TC-APP. The Boeing returned to ILFC on 17 December 2002 and started flying with Air Polonia as SP-KPI on 1 February 2003. Air Polonia was the first privately owned low-cost airline in Poland, flying mainly Boeing 737s from Warsaw. On 5 December 2004, it ceased operations due to financial difficulties. 28202/3009 was then stored for a short while at Berlin Schönefeld as N411LF. After being repainted and registered VT-SJB at Maastricht Airport, the aircraft was leased to Delhi, India based Air Sahara, from 23 February 2005 onwards. This Jet Airways controlled airline became JetLite on 1 June 2007. Click for picture.

The pilot and his passenger were killed at Harveng near Mons at 19h00 when their Christen A-1 Husky (OO-HUS)  crashed. According to witnesses the aircraft was flying very low and hit a tree before it crashed. The aircraft took off from the airfield of Saint-Ghislain some 15 km from the crash location. An investigation was started to determine the exact cause of the accident. Source: 7sur7  and picture of OO-HUS on Airliners.net

Today British airline Flybe started a new scheduled service between Brussels Airport and Exeter, which is to be flown six times a week with a 78 seat Bombardier Q400 aircraft. Only on Saturdays the service is not flown. Departure to Exeter from Zaventem is at 20h45L while the flight arrives at Brussels at 19h55L. Source: Luchtvaartnieuws.

From 18 - 25 May 2008, the 16th Squadron Multirole Helicopters of the Wing Heli will take part in the multinational exercise 'LOGICAL DECISION'. This exercise is organised annually by the 86th Hungarian helicopter regiment on and around the military Air Base SZOLNOK. This is the third time Wing Heli will participate. The main objective of this exercise is learning of each other's procedures and to improve the interoperability between the different participating countries. This year units of Poland, Croatia, Germany and Belgium will attend. The Belgian detachment (five pilots and three technicians) will take part with two A-109's, one heli in Anti-Tank version (TOW2A) and one in the transport configuration. Source: Mil.be

A detachment of Wing Heli will participate in an exercise organized by the 1 Para (1 Battalion Para-troopers) from May 22nd May till June 5th 2008. The exercise will take place in the Grafenwohr area (near the Czech border in Germany). A detachment of 5 Agusta A-109BA helicopters (2 in TOW 2A configuration, 2 as transport and 1 machine equipped with machine-guns) will be deployed at GTA (Grafenwohr Training Area) airfield. This training area (more than 250 Km²) of the American Army will offer numerous possibilities in the field of flying and firing. The detachment will provide fire support with TOW, perception tasks and convoy assistance assignments as well as being tasked with the transport of specialised units (ex. snipers). 45 soldiers of the Wing Heli (including 12 pilots) and about fifteen vehicles will participate in this deployment.  Source: Mil.be

A number of low flying exercises with fighter aircraft and helicopters will be organised by the Belgian defence in the following regions and periods:

 * Remagne / Tenneville from Monday 5 till Friday 9 May 2008.

These low flying exercises are organised to train the "Forward Air Controllers" (FAC's) and pilots in coordinated ground attacks in which the aircraft are guided to their assigned targets by the FAC on the ground. In an area of 25 km around the mentioned locations the aircraft will progressively fly lower up to a minimum height of 100m. No munitions are involved in the exercise.  More info at Mil.be  NL and FR.

Leopold Heimes, the last surviving Belgian pilot who participated in the Battle of Britain in 1940 will be honoured on Saturday May 10th 2008 at the Aeronautical Section of the Royal Army Museum at Brussels.  Leopold Heimes who flew Bristol Blenheim bombers at the time will be presented an artwork evocating the "Belgians of the Battle of Britain". Prints will be signed by the pilot himself. More information here (pdf). See pics by Yves Duwelz here.

An informal reunion of old Belgian Air Cadets and Instructors will be organised at Overboelare airfield on Saturday August 9th 2008. This will also be the occasion to honour some of the older instructors (some over 80 years old and still gliding). If you want to participate or need more information please contact Dirk De Quick at sv-4b@telenet.be or by phone at 054/41.25.26. See you there.

After three years of hard labour one of the worlds' most beautiful Lockheed F-104G's, Belgian Air Forces FX-52 'Tiger' was presented to the public during the Open Door at Flugplatz Weeze. Take note that the event is continuing on May 1st 2008 and that the beautiful machine can still be admired. It was in 1978 that the "Zipper" was adorned for the first time with a special Tiger livery at BAF Kleine Brogel Air Base. So it is exactly 30 years since the public saw this beautiful lady for the first time.  Pictures of FX-52 in the BAHA Special Feature "Granddad Tiger is back".

Between April 21^st and 30^th 2008 a detachment of the Wing Heli participated in the exercise RUNNING BEAR. The aim of this exercise is to prepare for the European Battle group (EUBG) for second half of the year. The training area was at Magdeburg (GUZ Altmark Training Area) in Germany. The Battle Group is composed on base of a Franco-German brigade (BFA). The detachment consisting of 4 helicopters A-109 BA (2 heli's in configuration "MEDEVAC" and 2 in "TOW 2A" configuration) were deployed on the Luftwaffe base HOLZDORF. Beside the air tasks (fire support, exploration, recon, medical evacuation...) and the training of the staff, the most important aim of this exercise was the integration within a German unit (equipped with transport helicopters LTG 62) for contribution to EUBG with 4 UH-1.

The excellent book "Tango Basic - cleared for take off" a cooperative detailed study of the Operational Conversion Unit and its "Arrowed Falcon" badge presented last year for the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the F-16 OCU was a huge success. The revenues, some 35.000€, were presented to a delegation of the child cancer fund the "Kleine Prins" of Genk by Maj Av Peter "Patja" Stams and singer Raf Van Brussel (godfather of the book). Pictures:  01  -  02

The German daily Handelsblatt writes that the German airliner Lufthansa is interested in taking over the Belgian airliner Brussels Airlines.  Lufthansa is looking to consolidate its position within Europe.  Brussels Airlines is reportedly top on the list of airliners Lufthansa is interested in. within Europe.  Brussels Airlines is reportedly top on the list of airliners Lufthansa is interested in. Brussels Airlines is not commenting, allegedly so as not to influence the quotation price of Lufthansa shares on the stock exchange. It has been common knowledge for a while that Brussels Airlines is holding talks with some large airline groups. Until now however there has been only talk of cooperation, not of an actual take-over. Source: VRT-Flandersnews.

At Koksijde airbase, Prime Minister Yves Leterme and Minister of Defence Pieter the Crem have signed a protocol agreement between defence and the federal public authorities, public health, security of the food chain and environment concerning the commitment of "Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)" for the supervision and the fight against sea pollution. The Air Component B-Hunter UAV’s, are able to carry out long-duration exploration flights above the North Sea. The unmanned vehicles can discretely take photographs and video of large areas of the North Sea. Elsenborn based N° 80 UAV squadron has already gained a thorough knowledge and experience with civil authorities and police tasks. B-Hunters will operate within this protocol from the Koksijde Air Base. Source: Mil.be  Pictures:  01  -  02

23/04 - Brussels Airlines to fly more slowly

Brussels Airlines intends to fly more slowly on a number of its European flights. In this way the airline wants to save on its fuel bill. The measure affects flights using the 28 Avro Regional Jet aircraft in its fleet. The Avros will now fly at a speed of 0.69 mach instead of the usual 0.70 mach. Flights should only arrive one or two minutes later than at present, but realise a considerable cost-saving. In all the saving on Brussels Airlines' fuel bill should amount to 1.1 million euros. Source: VRT-Flandersnews

Seven Lockheed F-16AM/BM fighters of Florennes based N° 350 Squadron have deployed to the French Armée de l'Air base at Orange (BA 115 "Capitaine de Seynes") to train with their colleagues of Cambrai based ESC 2/12 "Picardie" (Mirage 2000 RDI) which for the occasion also deployed to the sunny South of France. Also involved is  Mirage 2000N equipped Escadron de Chasse 3/4 "Limousin" normally based at Istres.Air Component aircraft involved are FA-52, FA-71, FA-72, FA-109, FA-121 + one and FB-17. Source and pictures at: Foxalpha and Armée de l'Air. For those people having an "Eagle Eye vision" note that on several pictures at page 3 of the Foxalpha Forum feature the Belgian F-16's are equipped with the brand-new Sniper targeting pods. (Thx VP)

Format A5  -  83 pages  -  69 Black and white illustrations  -  In French  -  Price 10 Euro + postage (4 Euro).  Ordering: Please contact Eric Dessouroux at: eric.dessouroux@skynet.be -  Bank account: 001-1730118-05

On May 27th 2008 it will be exactly 100 years that an aircraft took the air in Belgium. It was Henry Farman himself who brought aviation to Belgium at Gent making our country the third nation in the world where the new means of transport was given a chance. To commemorate this historical event a symposium and presentation of a new book will be organised at Gent by a specially created committee patronised by Minister Crevits, Mayor of Gent Termont, Governor of Oost-Vlaanderen Denys and commander of the Air Component General Van Caelenberge. More information can be found on the dedicated website: www.eeuwfeestluchtvaartvlaanderen.be and in the annexed pdf document.

In a ceremony organised at the Armée de l'Air base of Tours (F.) Lieutenant-Colonel Avi (PSC) Michel Leroy has taken over command from Lieutenant-Colonel Avi (PSC) Chis Goossens of the French-Belgian mutual pilot training and as Senior Representative (SNR) in France. The French Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Marc BLANCKAERT takes command of the Advanced jet training school (AJeTS).   Pictures by Eddy "Bink" Kellens at Mil.be

The European Air Group (EAG) is organising between May 1st and 15th an annual international Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) course/exercise at the TLP facilities at Florennes airbase. The CSAR course is aimed at all helicopter and fixed wing aircrew that want to gain experience in Joint Personnel Recovery missions. It is a two week course that is composed out of four days of theory and six days of live missions, one mission a day. Each mission will be thoroughly briefed, planned and debriefed. In this way, the course will allow all pilots, whatever their individual background and experience to learn and to gain proficiency. At the end of the course all pilots should be able to take up the responsibilities of the Rescue Mission Commander. Source: EAG

The monthly statistics on air traffic and airport movements in Belgium over March 2008 published by Belgocontrol show 89.925 movements which is a 5.43% drop (-5.161 movements down from 95.086) compared to the same period one year earlier. Airport statistics give the following figures: Brussels Airport: 21.800 movements (-0.08%), Charleroi-Brussels South: 6.812 (-24.26%), Oostende-Brugge: 5.626 (-7.09%), Antwerpen-Deurne: 4.278 (-30.86%) and Liège-Bierset: 3.624 (-13.22%). Canac controlled air traffic between flight levels 135 and 245: 47.785 (-0.15%). Source: Belgocontrol

The first A400M, MSN001, has just left station 40 where all the aircraft systems’ interfaces have been connected and the electrical system has been successfully tested with power-on. These activities are in line with the current programme plan. From station 40 the aircraft has been moved to station 35 where all the systems on board will be checked for compliance with design requirements and data automatically recorded for later analysis and evaluation. This represents an important step forward as station 35 is one of the few stations left before First Flight. Engine installation on MSN001 is now underway. Source: EADS

Eric Dessouroux has published a book written in French entitled  "Paul G. Burniat  -  Une vie dédiée à l'aviation". Burniat already fighter pilot and instructor before the Second World War was also one of the very few test pilots. Having escaped from Belgium after the German invasion he joined the RAF to become a highly skilled recce pilot which earned him a Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). After the war Burniat was deeply involved in civil aviation until his untimely dead. See cover here  -  ordering information soon to follow.

Aviapartner realised a consolidated turnover of €378.6 million euros in 2007, up by 35% in compared to 2006 (€280.5 million). This revenue growth can be explained by the additional turnover in the Cargo business unit* (44% increase compared to 2006) thanks to the acquisition of the Amsterdam cargo handler Aero Groundservices in April 2007, the customer portfolio increase in Paris-CDG and Lyon, and the full impact of the MK Airlines contract effective since mid-July 2006 in Oostende. Aviapartner is pursuing its strategy and generating organic growth through the development of its portfolio in existing stations and leveraging network deals both in cargo and handling. It is generating external growth through the opening of new stations (Milan, Rome) and through add-on acquisitions (Aero Groundservices). More info and source: Aviapartner

11/04 - Atomium again flying the Belgian flag with a "little" help of an Air Component Sea King.

Westland Sea King RS-05 based at Koksijde has successfully airlifted a brand new 300 kg heavy flag pole on top of Belgium's best known monument, the Atomium at Brussels. This difficult mission was handled without any problems by para-commando's working on the upper "bal" of the Atomium in close coordination with the skilful crew of the N° 40 Squadron Sea King. After less than 20 minutes the huge Belgian flag could be deployed in the same way as it was for many years up to the complete restoration of the monument. Mission accomplished. Pictures:  1  -  2  -  3 .

The Belgian Air Transport Association (BATA), a non-profit organization, which protects the interests of Belgian airlines, has named M. Ignace Bral its General Secretary starting from April 1st 2008. BATA employs 10.000 persons and counts a fleet of more than 140 aircraft. Its members carry over 6.000.000 passengers and 800,000 ton cargo per year.  Members are Brussels Airlines, VLM Airlines, JetAir Fly, Thomas Cook Airlines, TNT Airways, European Air Transport, Abelag and Cargo B Airlines. Affiliated members are DHL, Sabena Technics (TAT) and Aviapartner.

Minister of Defence Pieter De Crem (CD&V) has declared that Belgian Lockheed F-16 fighters which are to deploy to Afghanistan from September 1st onward will be allowed to use their bombs if the need arises and will execute these bombing-missions in accordance to NATO "rules of engagement". The Belgian fighter bombers are armed with laser guided precision bombs and will execute three types of missions: "show of force", reconnaissance and ground support. The deployment initially foreseen to last 4 months can be extended to half a year. Source: Het Nieuwsblad.

Over fiscal year 2007 Belgian company Brussels Airlines has booked a net profit of 23.1 million Euros compared to 13.9 million one year earlier. Over the same period turnover increased from 903 million Euros to 921 million Euros. The company's previsions for 2008 are somewhat less optimistic in view of higher fuel prices, increasing inflation and increasing competition. Source: De Standaard

Eleven companies are still competing after the first selection phase for the partly privatisation of Brussels South Charleroi Airport (BSCA). Mid-February the Walloon government launch the tender to privatise 27.65% of the capital, representing the part actually in hands of Sogepa. The Walloon government expects offers by early June from the following remaining candidates: Ackermans & van Haaren, Belgian Sky Shop/CNP, Holding Communal, Inframan, Cube/Natixis, Galaxy Management Services, ABN Amro Infrastructure Capital Management, GE Capital Corporation, Hainan Airlines Airport, Abertis and Save. Source: Het Laatste Nieuws.

Minister of Defence Pieter De Crem has confirmed that the 15th Transport Wing is to remain at Melsbroek airbase and is not to be moved to Beauvechain as persisted rumours indicated. Already in 2001 a feasibility study was made on the possibility of moving all military transport assets to Beauvechain airbase but at that time the price tag of 135 million Euros was not acceptable. At the same time the study made it clear that even a partial move would not solve the problem of night flights at Zaventem as Defence only flies a negligible percentage of its missions during night time. Over 2007 the 15th Transport WIng only operated 138 flights at night out of a grand total of 3532. Source: De Standaard

Avionics display provider Barco has been selected by L-3 Communications Integrated Systems, Waco, Texas, USA, to supply Control Display Units for the C-27J Joint Cargo Aircraft program. Barco’s control display units were the preferred choice because of their modular open architecture, as well as the company’s earlier experience with the C-27J platform. The agreement marks a new milestone in the success story of the CDMS-3000 Control Display Unit. To this date, 2 aircraft are in the order book, with projections for up to 76 additional aircraft over the next 6 years, representing a potential business volume of 156 CDMS for Barco.  Source: Barco

Barco announced that its North American avionics division has been awarded the 2007 Performance Excellence Award by The Boeing Company. With the award, Boeing’s Advanced System Supplier Management team recognizes Barco for meeting the stringent criteria for Gold level suppliers for a period of 12 consecutive months. Source and more information: Barco

Belgian Air Component Sea Kings are on a permanent stand by to respond to distress calls above Belgian and Luxemburg territory.
Scrambles March 2008:
04 March 08: C130 in emergency EBBR (Brussels airport)(cancelled)
11 March 08: Patient picked up from the vessel "VLISSINGEN 25" and transported to Veurne
12 March 08: Aircraft (engine fire) at EBCL (Charleroi airport)(cancelled)
17 March 08: Patient picked up from vessel "MSC LORENA" and transported to Veurne
An overview of 2007.  Source: Mil.be

A 17 year old member of the Belgian Air Cadets suffered minor injuries while landing his glider at Weelde airbase. On finals his Grob G102 Astir CS Jeans PL-77 (picture) hit a tree with the left wing and made a hard landing. The pilot was suffered only light injuries and could leave quickly Sint-Jozef hospital at Turnhout where he was transported to. The glider is a total loss. Source: De Morgen

The last 4 Fouga Magisters still in storage at Beauvechain airbase will be transported this week to the Vissenaken depot of the Royal Army Museum. Magister MT-26 was the first to leave and will be followed in the coming days by MT-13, MT-40 and MT-48 all still wearing the "Red Devils" aerobatic team colour scheme. Several machines are destined to go display at different locations in Belgium on long term loan from the Royal Army Museum. MT-35, the last Air Component Magister to fly will remain at Beauvechain for the local museum. The real end of an era. Click on the serial numbers for pictures of the aircraft.

The Air Component Alpha Jet 1B Flight Simulator also known as "AT-34" is for sale. Also for sale are the Alpha Jet Larzac engine Test bench and a Fairchild Merlin Fuel Nozzle Tester. For all those with a keen interest in flight sims having money to spend and enough space in their living room (or in their dedicated hobby room), this original as impressive item would surely be a must... For more information follow the links in FR and NL.

Three Air Component Lockheed F16-AM and a single F16BM fighters of Kleine Brogel based 349 Squadron have been deployed to the French Aéronautique Navale base of Landivisau (Bretagne) to participate between March 31st and April 4th at an annual Marine exercise called "Air Defence Week". Also participating are Aéronavale Super Etendards and Rafales, Armée de l'Air Mirage 2000-5s, Greek Mirage 2000s and British Tornado F.3's as well as an Aéronavale Grumman E-2C Hawkeye and an Armée de l'Air Boeing E-3F AWACS radar surveillance aircraft. During the exercise the F-16's will use the "Link 16" capability enabling them for instance to transfer a radar image to a friendly Rafale which then can remain "stealthy" as it doesn't have to switch on its own radar. Source: 7Sur7

A technician of the famous Bellewaerde Park at Zillebeke had to be rescued when he got ill while working on the "Screaming eagle" attraction at a height of 50 meters. Unfortunately the local fire brigade could not reach the victim so a Sea King Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopter of Koksijde was called upon. Luckily the victim could be saved in time and the intervention was not needed, but this incident again demonstrates the outmost importance of having the rescue flight of the Air Component at Koksijde at hand. Source: Krant van West-Vlaanderen

Charleroi - Brussels South has handled 617.093 passengers over the first quarter of 2008, a growth of 14% compared to the same period one year ago. The increase is mostly the result of Ryanair basing 5 Boeing 737-800 aircraft at Charleroi.  Over the whole of 2008 the airport expects to handle some 2.8 million passengers. Source: Luchtvaartnieuws.