Firefighting aircraft developer Roadfour opens branch at Ostend-Bruges Airport, and possibly Final Assembly Line

Roadfour NV, the Belgian startup developing the SEAGLE, the new generation amphibious forest firefighting aircraft, has established a branch at the Ostend-Bruges Airport North Sea Aviation Centre (NSAC) with the branch name “Roadfour Oostende”.

Roadfour NV is investigating the possibilities for the implantation of the Final Assembly Line (FAL) for the SEAGLE, the new European firefighting aircraft. The establishment of a branch in Ostend is a necessity to facilitate discussions with the various stakeholders in Flanders says Luc Stultjens, Roadfour ‘s Community Manager Benelux.

Ostend is currently one of the possible European locations for the implantation of the FAL. This location will eventually employ about 450 direct and 450 indirect full-time employees.

Roadfour’s choice to open a branch in Ostend is welcomed by Filip Roelandt, CEO of the Economisch Huis Oostende. Ostend airport is therefore the ideal place to host such an ambitious project as the ‘SEAGLE’. An airport that matches the company’s needs in terms of size, a strong airport community, the support from all levels of government, the easy accessibility and the high level of education of the region are important assets to be able to offer Roadfour a great future here, according to Filip Roelandt.

“As a Belgian startup, we wish to explore our own country’s assets as widely as possible. This allows us to make a strictly objective decision for the final implantation of our FAL. This decision will have a long-term impact on an entire ecosystem. To prepare this decision, close cooperation with local stakeholders is a must. The choice to open our “Roadfour Ostend” branch for this purpose is fully in line with our strategy,” says Gaëtan Du Four, CEO and co-founder.

“SEAGLE” contributes strongly to global CO2 reduction.

It is Roadfour’s vision to reduce the environmental footprint of current and future forest fires to protect our future generations. The mission is therefore to develop unique and innovative products for aerial firefighting.

The 7-gigatonne annual and global CO2 emissions caused by mega forest fires are the cause of loss of human life, loss of fauna and flora, of entire habitats. The economic impact is estimated at more than 100 billion Euros a year. Just think of the loss of homes, businesses, infrastructure and agriculture with accompanying rising air pollution.

The SEAGLE amphibious forest firefighting aircraft in the heaviest category, use state-of-the-art technologies in all areas. The most innovative raw materials, digital products and processes through to a climate-neutral production environment are applied. This makes the SEAGLE the most advanced and mission-efficient aircraft on the market.

The availability of the European RescEU budget of €800 million for the procurement of forest firefighting equipment, including the purchase of forest firefighting aircraft, should enable European sovereignty in this domain. Moreover, by investing these budgets in Europe itself, we encourage comprehensive European knowledge building and invest in the value chain and employment. In addition to direct and indirect employment at the FAL site (total 900 FTEs), there is employment of 5,000 FTEs in the European value chain.

The support of our respective governments, under this European project, is definitely needed. The economic created return in the Belgian and European value chain, over the period 2023 – 2050, is more than 14B€. It will put Belgium and East Flanders even better on the global industrial map of the aircraft industry.

14 November 2022