The summer holiday season is officially set to start on Friday 28 June. Over the next two months, a total of more than 5 million passengers will travel from and to Brussels Airport to one of the 200 direct destinations in its summer scheduling. The airport and its partners have been working hard to ensure that all passengers can enjoy a comfortable travel experience. The Brussels Airport App has been renewed making it easier to look up all flight information, and additional e-gates are being added at border control over the summer.
School holidays start this Friday in Dutch-speaking schools, marking the start of the summer holidays. Nearly 83,000 passengers are expected at Brussels Airport on that first day of the holiday, and the weekend also promises to be busy with 75,000 and 79,000 passengers on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. In the French-speaking school system, this year’s holiday starts a week later than in its Dutch-speaking counterpart, so the first Friday of July will also be busy, with 79,000 passengers expected on 5 July. All in all, Brussels Airport expects more 5 million passengers over the summer holidays. That is 6% more than last year.
A stronger network with a wide range of holiday options
With in total 200 direct destinations offered by 80 airlines (passengers and cargo) Brussels Airport has a strong offer this summer. Classic summer destinations such as Spain, the Canary Islands, Greece, Turkey, Portugal, Morocco, Italy and Egypt remain the most popular. New airlines this summer include Amélia (Brive), Juneyao Airlines (Shanghai), Singapore Airlines (Singapore), Wideroe (Bergen) and Wizz Air (Budapest). Newly added destinations include Bari (Transavia), Gazipasa (Corendon), Krakow and Nairobi (both Brussels Airlines).
Starting this summer, Transavia is basing a third aircraft at Brussels Airport, to boost the airline’s offering to a total of 12 destinations. Brussels Airlines is strengthening its fleet with a tenth long-haul aircraft and now offers a total of 18 sub-Saharan destinations. And Hainan Airlines is adding Shanghai as a third destination, in addition to its existing Beijing and Shenzhen services. United Airlines is increasing the frequency of its services to Newark, with a second daily flight. While Air Arabia Maroc now flies to seven destinations (new are Rabat and Tetouan). Similarly, Vueling is increasing the frequency of its flights to a total of six destinations in Spain. And Qatar Airways now operates a total of 12 flights a week to Doha.
Ready for busy summer operations with, among others, a new App and additional e-gates
All the partners at Brussels Airport have been preparing to ensure the summer holiday season runs smoothly and safely. Additional staff will be deployed to inform and assist passengers in the terminal, and new automated gates will be installed at border control during the summer vacation. There will be three additional e-gates at arrivals, six e-gates for gates T and six e-gates at transfer as well. This will increase capacity and through-flow at these border posts, which will be staffed by the Federal Police. The e-gates can be used by anyone over 12 years of age who holds a European, British, American or Canadian passport.
The Brussels Airport App has been redesigned and is the ideal travel companion for every passenger! With the convenient travel planner, you can prepare for your trip step by step – from packing your carry-on luggage to getting advice on the best time to get to the airport. You can also turn on real-time notifications to receive all the information about your flight – from your check-in desk to your gate number. The app puts all the information you need about the airport’s stores and restaurants at your fingertips, too.
Passengers are advised to reserve a parking space if coming to the airport by car, or to use public transportation. Reviewing the carry-on baggage rules is also recommended to ensure a quick and easy security screening.
The terminal is once again styled with a summer theme, featuring lots of fun photo backdrops to get the holiday vibe started as soon as you arrive at the airport. New to the line-up is the Pop Up Café Artois, located in the departure hall. For the little ones, there is a new play area in Pier A and throughout July there will also be a Kids Corner in Pier B where children can play for a bit before departure. You will also be able to follow this summer’s sporting events: both the European Football Championship and the Olympic Games will be broadcast at the gates, at various bars and restaurants. Finally, as in previous years, Brussels Airport, in collaboration with the Tomorrowland festival, will be hosting a variety of DJ sets at the airport. On July 22 and 29, several DJs will be playing a set in the terminal, between the Connector and Pier A, to create a summer party atmosphere.
The article Brussels Airport is all set for a busy summer, 5m. passengers expected in July and August first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.