aviation - the past, present and future of flight

remained operational following liberation

by Allied forces in September 1944, with

RAF squadrons expanding the runways and

aprons.

POST WAR

In 1946, civilian operators were allowed to fly

to Brussels again. By this stage, Haren was

little used, with carriers choosing to fly into

Melsbroek, which was officially opened on

July 20, 1948. Sabena and the Belgian Air

Force continued to use maintenance facilities

at Haren until the 1950s, before the airfield

was finally redeveloped.

Today, it forms part of the NATO

headquarters, and was redeveloped with

residential areas.

Melsbroek was soon attracting the

pre-war carriers and new airlines such as

Pan American World Airways. The airport

infrastructure grew, and it became the first in

the world to offer air and rail integration when

the new train link to Brussels city centre was

opened in 1955.

The following year, a decision was

made to expand the airport, to allow further

growth and to ready the city for the 1958

World Exhibition. The site selected for the

expansion was across the runway in the

town of Zaventem, which saw a number of

houses demolished to make way for a large

new terminal complex designed by architects

Maxime Brunfaut, Géo Bontinck and Joseph

Moutschen.

Once completed, the terminal boasted

two piers, a large arrivals and departures hall

and multi-storey administration building. To

coincide with Sabena’s initial jet aircraft, the

SE210 Caravelle, the airport’s three runways

were extended.

Thousands of people watched from the

public viewing terraces when, in July 1970,

the first Boeing 747 arrived at the airport,

then universally known as Zaventem.

Widebody aircraft were later

accommodated at the satellite extension to

the terminal, which was opened on June 25,

1973, allowing the airport to reach the eight

million passengers per year mark. Boeing

747s from Braniff and People Express

became regulars, alongside Pan Am and

Sabena.

An area for cargo operations was

opened in 1979 and extra hangars built to

accommodate the largest aircraft of the day.

By the mid-1990s, Sabena was struggling

financially. It was operating a mix of Boeing

737s, 747s, McDonnell Douglas DC-10s

to European, African and North American

destinations. It added Airbus A319, A320,

A321, A330 and A340 aircraft in a bid to

modernise its fleet by the start of the next

decade.

http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 65

Right: Sobelair, a charter airline founded in

1946 and based at Brussels, entered the jet

age in 1971 when it leased Caravelle aircraft

from Sabena. Operations ended in 2003.

Matt Falcus

Below right: Sabena used two Boeing

747-100s between 1970 and 1990 on

transatlantic routes to Chicago and New

York. They were supplemented and

ultimately replaced by two larger 747-

300s from 1986. AirTeamImages.com/Ralf

Meyermann

Above centre: Vueling initially started a base at Brussels before announcing its closure in the

autumn of 2016. The airline still flies from the airport using Airbus A320s to many European

destinations. Matt Falcus

Above: A Boeing E-4B visiting Brussels. With both EU and NATO headquarters in the city, the

airport handles a large number of government and VIP aircraft. AirTeamImages.com/Rudi Boigelot

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