Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

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BAAV
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Joined: 08 Jun 2013, 18:03

Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by BAAV »

It could indeed be a good idea for the Flemish government to be a small shareholder of BRU via one of its investment vehicles so that it has more insights into one of the main economic pools and it would be beneficial for the airport as well. The airport lies in Flanders which makes that region one of the main stakeholders you better have on your side. Imagine if the Flemish government would take the same political line as the Brussels Region regarding BRU...

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Atlantis
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by Atlantis »

sn26567 wrote: 01 Sep 2018, 14:37
I think that, since BRU is a national airport, it would be better that the Federal Government (which owns already 25% of the shares + 1) buys any shares that become available. But the airport is also a private enterprise, and it is not in the mandate of public authorities to own private enterprises, hence my preference goes to any private company.
Please, let us not think that the Federal governmet should buy even more shares. Let us not go back into the past with almost no investments etc. Better that the federal government has a minority position in this.
Matthias wrote: 01 Sep 2018, 11:03 Interesting news today:

https://www.tijd.be/ondernemen/luchtvaa ... t/10045231 (Dutch only)

According to De Tijd, the flemish government wants to buy the shares of Macquarie. Any thoughts?
The thought of the Flemisch government to do this via their investment company PMV is one with a solid future.
It would be also logic as Brussels Airport is on Flemish soil and after the Sea Ports to have also the Air Port in their portfolio. On this way they have the only two biggest economic parts of Belgium in their hands. They would even have a bigger share than the federal government who is really not helping in finding a solution for the Fly law, fixing routes and the constant dispute with the Brussels Government.

I'm more sceptical of the "Belgian" insurance companies regarding some severe finacial weather, reading: some financial crisis. I'm not so sure if they are solid enough.

Chinese companies are also to avoid as they only think on the way to place their own people on new positions and to transfer the best parts to their own country. In the case of Brussels Airport, it would be money transfers. They invest only shortly to take out only the best parts and then to leave everything in a mess. They don't invest further to make it better.

The Canadian or Dutch investment companies are on that way much better. We have already the experience with one of the Canadian Pension Funds who are really investing a lot in our company and this in long term plans.
It is also a pleasure to work together with the Canadians as they appreciate the work which is done, the know how and they understood how difficult it was in March 2016 to be reliable again. The Canadian Pension Funds never lost hope but had faith in us that we could do it!!

It would be a very strong tandem to see the current Canadian Pension Funds and PMV working together. It could makes things in the future much faster done.

Let's see what comes out at the end of this year and after when the final decision will be taken.

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lumumba
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by lumumba »

I think it's a good idea that the Flemish government invest in the airport for obvious reasons.
But it will change nothing about the overflying problem with Brussels.
The Brussels Region will still have the right to impose there rules over the region!!!
Like I said before if we want to find a solution everybody will have to put some water in his wine.
And the Brussels region is the most densely populated area in the region.
Or they redirect the overfliyng planes to the less populated areas with a special programme to isolate or buy the houses like in Liege.
Or Brussels Airport will have to restrict his traffic to let everybody live in a good environment.
Hasta la victoria siempre.

convair
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by convair »

The website is not BRU's sole problem. Parking has become a nightmare! On wednesday morning last week, all lots were full, including the "new" P4 at the entrance of which I was told to go to P1 (the most expensive one) where I had no choice but to park my car outside the designed plots.
Someone told me it's the same situation every day and it's due to the Deloitte and KPMG offices having moved there.
Could our members please share your experience in that respect?

(NB: I know that trains, busses, bicycles and taxis exist, but attracting big offices that will squatt your parking lots is not exactly a bright idea imho, for the pax I mean. But who cares about the pax at BRU?) :roll:

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sn26567
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by sn26567 »

convair wrote: 24 Sep 2018, 15:05 The website is not BRU's sole problem. Parking has become a nightmare! On wednesday morning last week, all lots were full, including the "new" P4 at the entrance of which I was told to go to P1 (the most expensive one) where I had no choice but to park my car outside the designed plots.
Someone told me it's the same situation every day and it's due to the Deloitte and KPMG offices having moved there.
Could our members please share your experience in that respect?
I went to BRU last Tuesday. Same story: P1-2-3 full, sent to P4 where I could barely find a spot, and then 800m walk to the terminal, and the same distance back (before realising I could take a free bus of De Lijn). Fortunately, the weather was nice.

This being said, it's true that too many people (including myself) come to the airport by car when they could have taken public transportation. But which is the fastest and the most flexible? ANd why is the train so expensive because of ghat stupid Diabolo surcharge? As long as public transportation is not cheap and frequent, people will continue to come by car.
André
ex Sabena #26567

Stij
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by Stij »

Brussels Airport thinks as a real estate developer, not as an airport.
At least the airlines care about their premium passengers, Brussels Airport doesn't care about anybody… unless you pay rent of course...
I sometimes think they hope it will be closed… 1245ha of prime real estate and not an airport around… anymore… ;-)

Cheers,

Stij

Robby
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by Robby »

convair wrote: 24 Sep 2018, 15:05 The website is not BRU's sole problem. Parking has become a nightmare! On wednesday morning last week, all lots were full, including the "new" P4 at the entrance of which I was told to go to P1 (the most expensive one) where I had no choice but to park my car outside the designed plots.
Someone told me it's the same situation every day and it's due to the Deloitte and KPMG offices having moved there.
Could our members please share your experience in that respect?

(NB: I know that trains, busses, bicycles and taxis exist, but attracting big offices that will squatt your parking lots is not exactly a bright idea imho, for the pax I mean. But who cares about the pax at BRU?) :roll:
I think it has little to do with the presence of new office buildings at BRU. The office buildings themselves have quite large underground parking lots, and for instance KPMG exclusively uses the P19 lot, which is a subscriptions only parking. So in the end there is only a very limited impact on the parking space available to the pax.

Moreover, the move towards BRU by those companies is of course also intended to encourage the use of public transport instead of cars.

Kind regards

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luchtzak
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by luchtzak »

A few days ago I was on the roundabout just under the bridge, there was a massive queue to enter the main road to the airport and a queue at the left hand side (where the drop-off is situated). It took about 15 minutes before cars started driving again.

If I was a passenger, I would park on the long-term parkings near Delhaize, Melsbroek and take a bus. It's cheaper, and quicker.

flightlover
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by flightlover »

luchtzak wrote: 24 Sep 2018, 17:36 A few days ago I was on the roundabout just under the bridge, there was a massive queue to enter the main road to the airport and a queue at the left hand side (where the drop-off is situated). It took about 15 minutes before cars started driving again.

If I was a passenger, I would park on the long-term parkings near Delhaize, Melsbroek and take a bus. It's cheaper, and quicker.
Parking at the airport is just a mess. There are not even enough spots for workers to leave their car. And as public transportation is not a good alternative when you need to start early or stay late...

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CTBke
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by CTBke »

flightlover wrote: 24 Sep 2018, 18:22
luchtzak wrote: 24 Sep 2018, 17:36 A few days ago I was on the roundabout just under the bridge, there was a massive queue to enter the main road to the airport and a queue at the left hand side (where the drop-off is situated). It took about 15 minutes before cars started driving again.

If I was a passenger, I would park on the long-term parkings near Delhaize, Melsbroek and take a bus. It's cheaper, and quicker.
Parking at the airport is just a mess. There are not even enough spots for workers to leave their car. And as public transportation is not a good alternative when you need to start early or stay late...
not to mention the security issues at P58 where everyone can walk through and damage employees cars ... in stead of investing time in a new website they could finally invest some time and money in the parking infrastructure of their employees
Citybird
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brabel
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by brabel »

Everyone is talking about parkings, but if your flight leaves very early, you can barely reach it by public transport. I think this is THE factor that they need to promote, no new parkings, but easier, cheaper (diabolo has to be abolished) and faster public transport!

Why would you take a train, if it's cheaper to go by car?
Why would you take a train, if it's faster to go by car?
Why would you take a train, if it's easier to go by car?

MORE trains (early morning!!!), CHEAPER trains, FASTER trains!

I don't think more parkings should do it :)
just my opinion... and I do have a car myself.

Stij
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by Stij »

Sure?

I m on the train to BRU and due to an incident I ll have to take a taxi from Leuven... I hope I ll make my flight...

Stij

Stij
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by Stij »

Making the flight!

Passenger
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by Passenger »

Stij wrote: 25 Sep 2018, 20:45 Making the flight!
Some travel insurances cover a railway delay, when you respect a certain time between arrival time of the train and check-in closure time...

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sn26567
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by sn26567 »

Stij wrote: 25 Sep 2018, 20:45 Making the flight!
By taxi? Or did the train restart?
André
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Stij
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by Stij »

sn26567 wrote: 25 Sep 2018, 21:39
By taxi? Or did the train restart?
By car.... I called a friend of mine in Leuven...

But the Belgian Railways were excellent again...

Only announcements in Dutch
Advice to take the train to MECHELEN and then to the airport.
On the platform in Leuven announcements that the train would go to the airport.
...

Greetings from VCE!

Stij

jan_olieslagers
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by jan_olieslagers »

Is it at least a modern comfortable train with extra room for luggage ?
Various types of rolling stock are used to the airport, but to my knowledge nothing with extra luggage capacity. The IC-trains to Dinant and Charleroi are operated by Desiro multiples, quite modern but according to some only comfortable for short distances due to their rather hard seating.

Regarding the Diabolo tax: that is a supplement to the basic train fares, it is cashed in by NMBS/SNCB but it does not go to their pocket; it goes to an external party, who contributed to the construction - quite expensive! - and are now getting this in return. It is supposed to continue till 2045...

SN501
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by SN501 »

Ansett wrote: 26 Sep 2018, 13:22 Better train connections are part of the solution. Not everybody lives near a train station where trains stop to go to BRU (even with just one stopover). However, better timetables and more frequencies can help. As to the price of the train ticket, I would suggest to the NMBS/SNCB to lower the fares for the Diabolo and to increase its frequency. If I remember well, the railway company decided to lower frequencies which were already low, because there were not enough passengers. It seems logical to me that if you increase frequencies (instead of reducing them) and lower fares, you will attract more pax and could become profitable or at least break even. Again the wrong decision. I have never taken the Diabolo. Is it at least a modern comfortable train with extra room for luggage ?

As to the parking situation at BRU, it is indeed a mess. The parking lots (especially the elevators) are poorly maintained by Interparking. It's expensive, considering that other options to go to the airport are (not always) but often far from ideal.

And the temporary drop off area seems to become the permanent drop off area, unworthy of the airport of the capital city of the 26th economy in the world (let alone the "capital" of Europe).
An increase of public transport offer is a cost. Public transport are not profitable and can't break even. So a better offer at lower prices is a double cost paid by tax-payer.

In public transport you have to find the right balance between an acceptable offer and an acceptable "economic loss".

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Vic Diesel
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by Vic Diesel »

Robby wrote: 24 Sep 2018, 17:20I think it has little to do with the presence of new office buildings at BRU. The office buildings themselves have quite large underground parking lots, and for instance KPMG exclusively uses the P19 lot, which is a subscriptions only parking. So in the end there is only a very limited impact on the parking space available to the pax.

Moreover, the move towards BRU by those companies is of course also intended to encourage the use of public transport instead of cars.

Kind regards
Well, it is just a bunch of occasional observations, but if you are around in P3, you can see dozens of dark (black?) Minis parking there, all with light green rear mirror covers. Those are all Deloitte employee's cars (light green is kind of a "corporate design" color for them, hence the small parts of the car having it on). I never got to spot in P3 without seeing them all around the place. And those are just the cars that you can clearly distinguish.

Parking IS a problem, but also people who are just lazy f*ckers and don't give a damn about others, leaving their cars right next to the ramp, so when you descend from one level to the other, you have to be careful not to bump into them. Odd enough, more than 90% of those cars I had this kind of displeasurable encounter with, had Dutch license plates...

But speaking of infastructure: is there not a new bus-train-whatever terminal planned at the spot of the DHL building that was torn down recently?
Best regards,
Viktor

(Budapest-born, Vienna-raised, Brussels-based)

PttU
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by PttU »

The airport has the same problems as traffic in general: it's a risk planning to get there by car because you might be stuck in traffic, it's a risk getting there by train because there might be cancellations, strikes or other delays. The reason why one would still prefer the car is because it gives the feeling of having control: when you're in traffic you can try to find a route around it, when you're by public transport, you're dependant on when your train decides to move, and in which direction. Making the alternatives cheaper, or the car more expensive needs a way bigger difference to move people to the alternative: the cost of driving a car is way lower by perception than it is in reality and the feeling of independence and being in control of the situation is invaluable.
So if you want to reduce the amount of people coming to BRU by car, you need to have an alternative which has the image of being reliable enough, more than you need an alternative which is cheap enough or making it harder to park or get there by car.

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