Atlantis wrote:Brussels Airport will give Brussels Airport a volume reduction. In return, Brussels Airport ask them more traffic to bring to BRU.
Good decision from the airport and glad to see that they finally understood they have more to gain from supporting the home carrier than trying to attract ever more (low cost) airlines which compete with it.
Running an airport is a business that must try to maximise revenues, but especially for an airport like BRU, revenues come from more than just the direct user fees passengers pay, so they mustn't be too obsessed with just maximizing their pax numbers, but look at the bigger picture.
In this context, it is important to understand not all passengers are of the same value to that business, even IF they pay the same fees; those African bound passengers SN are hauling in from allover Europe and the USA are renowned for buying the tax free shops empty! Somehow I don't think many U2 passengers buy for hundreds (if not thousands) of euro in juwelry and other stuff? If this airport wants to run a massive shopping mall inside its terminals because it makes loads of profits from these shops, it has an interest in pampering airlines that can bring them the kind of passengers known to be shopaholics, yet that doesn't match the typical profile of a cheap charlie flying shorthaul with some low cost airline, so it is indeed also in the interest of the airport to fully support SN's expansion plans.