Brussels Airport Company and other airport companies are setting up mobility actions as part of the European Week of Mobility to make people think about the way they commute. This year, the airport operator is giving its staff the chance of free alternative commuter travel – not for just one week, but for three months.
The airport is an important transport hub: train, bus, car, taxi, bicycle and aircraft seamlessly connect with each other. As part of the Strategic Vision 2040, Brussels Airport considers the airport an intermodal hub which is part of the solution for the mobility in the region. With a view to the development of the mobility in the vicinity and to the further growth of the airport, achieving a radical modal shift is crucial.
Brussels Airport has set a target for itself that, in 2040, at least 50% of the passengers and staff will come to the airport by public or shared transport, by bike or on foot, compared to 30% now. In that context, Brussels Airport Company is this year stimulating its own employees to discover different means of transport for their commute.
An internal mobility campaign highlights the advantages of each means of transport and every month all employees of Brussels Airport Company are given the opportunity of testing an alternative means of transport for their commute free of charge. This month, for example, around forty enthusiastic colleagues registered to try out the electric bicycle. From October, public transport (train/tram/metro/bus) will be promoted and at the end of the year, the focus will be on electric cars.
This week all participating airport companies in addition to Brussels Airport Company are encouraging their staff to leave the car at home wherever possible. As from today – it is no coincidence that that is the National Car Free Day – all employees are being encouraged to carpool. Employees can register using a carpooling app and use the same platform to find a suitable carpool partner with whom they can travel back and forth to work. The app can be tested by staff for a whole month.
“In the future, the airport will become an increasingly important player as intermodal hub for both passengers and commuters and wants to contribute to improving mobility in the region. On the other hand, we are aiming, with our broad environmental policy, to reduce the CO2 emissions of the airport even further. Making our own staff aware of this is an important aspect here,” says Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport Company. “We want to break the habit of using the car all the time. An important stage in the promotion of alternative means of transport is creating awareness and that is the primary aim of this mobility campaign.”
Yesterday I came by bike to Brussels Airport ?