Since July, TUI fly Belgium has operated five flights from Antwerp airport to Spanish destinations with a stopover at Brussels Airport, Mediahuis newspapers reported on Saturday.
TUI’s Embraer 190 aircraft are quite capable of flying directly to Spain. If stopovers occurred on five flights to Alicante, Malaga and Ibiza, it is not to pick up passengers, but due to a combination of circumstances, TUI Belgium spokesperson Piet Demeyere explains. “If the take-off runway in Antwerp is wet, certain weight checks have to be carried out for safety. In general, the weight in Antwerp is ok and the runway can support it, but, for example, when flying full with luggage, the take-off weight should be reduced. Which cannot be done by refusing passengers. From then on, we take on less fuel in Antwerp to still take off safely and refuel in Brussels to reach Spain“.
At Brussels Airport, the weight at take-off is not a constraint because the runway is much longer than in Antwerp. However, the stopover suggests that planes consume more fuel, generating 2,050 kg more CO2 emissions.
