Sobelair

Aldo Vastapane, founder of Skyshops and once owner of Sobelair, dies at the age of 97

Share

Aldo Vastapane, a Belgian Baron and entrepreneur born in 1926 in Molenbeek, passed away at the age of 97 on 31 October 2023.

In his career, Aldo Vastapane made investments in various businesses. Notably, he played a significant role in the development of duty-free stores (Skyshops) in multiple countries, with his first venture at Brussels Airport.

After the bankruptcy of Sabena at the end of 2001, which occurred just a few weeks after the September 11 attacks in New York, Aldo Vastapane assumed control and revitalised Sobelair, the former charter subsidiary of Belgium’s flagship airline. He had a deep passion for aviation and South Africa, where he owned property, and he launched flights to Johannesburg. Unfortunately, this aviation venture was short-lived, as Sobelair, unable to generate sufficient profitability, filed for bankruptcy in January 2004.

This post was published on 31 October 2023 11:51

André Orban

M. Sc. Engineering

Published by
André Orban

Recent Posts

Lufthansa confirms rough landing of Boeing 747-8i training flight at Los Angeles Airport

A Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Los Angeles experienced a "rough landing" at Los Angeles…

28 April 2024

Lufthansa Technik Malta successfully completes first Boeing 787 Dreamliner layover

Lufthansa Technik Malta (LTM) celebrated a significant milestone with the completion of its inaugural base…

28 April 2024

Delta Air Lines expands African service: resumes Nigeria flights, upgrades fleet for Ghana and South Africa routes

Delta Air Lines is reinforcing its position as the leading U.S. carrier to Africa by…

28 April 2024

Dubai initiates construction of ‘World’s Largest’ airport: Al Maktoum International Airport expansion

Dubai has commenced construction on what is touted to be the "world's largest" airport terminal…

28 April 2024

First joint NATO mission for Spain and Sweden: a historic aerial collaboration in Lithuania

Spain and Sweden marked a historic milestone as they jointly participated in their first NATO…

28 April 2024

GPS interference: Russia suspected; Finnair flight diverted

Thousands of commercial airline flights in Europe have reportedly had their GPS data jammed, with…

28 April 2024