aviation - the past, present and future of flight

W

hen it comes to all things

European, Brussels is at the

centre. It is the headquarters

of the European Commission

and home to one of the seats of the

European Parliament. Many regard it as

Europe’s unofficial capital.

It makes Brussels Airport a strategic asset

for Belgium, a nation of just over 11 million

people. The facility suffered a grievous

terrorist attack in 2016, but recovered superbly

last year, while still addressing environmental

pressures and even the needs of aviation

enthusiasts.

E A R LY DAYS

Flying first came to Belgium under the

most awful circumstances. The country

was ravaged by both sides in World War

One, as ground was gained and lost,

while overhead some of the earliest

flying machines battled for supremacy.

Germany controlled the area around

Brussels and looked for a suitable place

to construct an airship base, selecting a

site at Haren/Evere within one of the city’s

municipalities. A Zeppelin hangar was

constructed in February 1915, but was

bombed only four months later.

Although repaired, it was never brought

back into use before the end of the conflict

in 1918. Following the armistice, the site

was retained for aviation use, with former

wartime aircraft pressed into early passenger

operations.

The forerunner to Sabena was set up

with the approval of the Belgian royal family.

Called SNETA (Syndicat National pour l’étude

des Transports Aériens), it operated a flight

from the site at Evere to London and back,

via Paris, in May 1923.

Basic structures were added to the airfield,

which handled military operations on the

Haren side, and passengers on the Evere

side, where the first passenger terminal

comprised a small wooden building, with a

hangar and bar alongside.

In 1925, the pioneering aviator Charles

Lindbergh flew to Haren, only a week after

his record-breaking flight across the Atlantic

in the Spirit of St Louis. At the same time,

Sabena successfully trialled its first flight to

the colony of the Belgian Congo.

During the 1930s, Haren airport grew

in stature. Operators such as Air France,

Imperial Airways, KLM, Hillman’s Airways,

British Continental Airways and Lufthansa

were all flying scheduled services.

Movements rose to 45,000 in 1935, despite

the airport still having a grass landing area

with no set runway layout.

When Germany attacked Belgium in May

1940, Haren Airport was taken over and

expanded with new hangars and a concrete

runway. The invading force deemed the

airfield insufficient for its needs and began

constructing another one at Melsbroek

airfield, near Zaventem and Steenokkerzeel.

The two facilities were so close that a

connecting taxiway was added between

them in November 1942. The twin airfields

64 Aviation News incorporating Jets March 2018

BRUSSELS AIRPORT

HITS NEW HIGHS

A terrorist attack did not deflect Belgium’s hub airport from

forging ahead with development plans and breaking

passenger records, as Matt Falcus explains.

Above: United Airlines is one of many

carriers that offer long-haul services from

Brussels Airport. AirTeamImages.com/Bram

Botterman

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