Brussels aims to fulfil potential

After national carrier Brussels Airlines officially joined the Star Alliance in December 2009, Brussels Airport is now perceived as a crucial platform for the alliance to gain market share in the Western Europe. However, management at the airport is eager to capitalise on the presence of Star Alliance.

Compared with Luxemburg and Strasbourg, the two other airports serving EU capitals, Brussels looks rather like a giant. Squeezed between Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris Charles de Gaulle, however, Brussels appears rather small with a traffic three to four times smaller than these major international hubs.

Brussels Airport is a private entity owned 75 per cent by Macquarie Airports, with the Belgian federal government holding a 25 per cent stake.

Recent annual traffic figures reflect the impact of the economic recession in 2009. A total of 17 million passengers used Brussels Airport last year - down by 8.16 per cent on the 2008 figure. Cargo traffic plummeted by 32.07 per cent to 450,000 tonnes, and total aircraft movements fell by 10.51 per cent to 231,668 take-offs and landings (mainly in the small regional carrier and cargo sectors).

However, times might soon change. With Brussels Airlines' integration into Star Alliance by mid-December 2009, along with the support of its main shareholder Lufthansa, Brussels might be able to look far more attractive. "Brussels will now be positioned as a Star Alliance hub able to dent the passenger market share of Paris, Amsterdam and even London Heathrow," says Leon Verhallen, head of airline business development at Brussels Airport. "We expect stronger growth than other West European airports over the years to come, almost certainly in double-digit figures."