5 July 1958. It was at 11 am on the dot that Brussels-National Airport was officially inaugurated in the pouring rain. At the time, it had two piers, each 172 metres long and one terminal. Six million passengers passed through the airport that year, attracted in particular by the World Fair. Sixty years later, quite a lot has changed. The piers have been renovated, terminals have been added, others abandoned. A cargo area has been created, and the Connector saw the light of day in 2015. While back in the early 1980s, we welcomed around 8 million passengers a year, this year, we are not far off the 25 million passenger mark.
“On the 5th of July 2018, Brussels Airport will officially celebrate its 60th anniversary,” explains Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport Company. “This is a milestone anniversary for an airport that is an integral part of the history of our country and has participated in many of the events that have shaped Belgium. We wanted to share all these memories with our employees, our passengers and the people of Belgium. For several months, Brussels Airport will be decked out in new colours and take us down memory lane into its rich past, while highlighting our belgitude with Belgian products and icons. ”
The second largest economic growth hub in the country, Brussels Airport now connects the European capital with 238 destinations, from the most traditional to the most exotic. Taking on board the expected expansion of air traffic in the next 20 years, Brussels Airport’s Strategic Vision 2040 is shored up by a long-term development plan for the airport. There is no shortage of projects to welcome these new travellers, but also the new goods that will transit through the cargo area.
Brussels Airport doesn’t have just one story to tell. There are millions of stories, memories and emotions experienced by many aviation fans, thousands of employees and millions of travellers. The airport is also an emblem of our country. Who among our fellow citizens doesn’t have a memory related to the airport? To mark its 60th anniversary, Brussels Airport wanted to highlight these stories and memories. From June to the end of 2018, various events and activities will be held in the terminal as well as on the social networks of Brussels Airport. Highlights will be evoked, such as the opening of the cargo area in 1979, the inauguration of Pier A in 2002 and the opening of Connector in 2015. From the 20th of June, Brussels Airport will look back on these events with a retrospective photo exhibition in Connector just beyond security screening. Starting September, our “belgitude” will take pride of place thanks to the collaboration with Belgian icons. All these events and initiatives will plunge us into a festive and retro atmosphere around the “60 Years” of Brussels Airport.
Brussels Airport, 18 June 2018
