Founded in 2016, Air Belgium has prepared to start operations later this month. The new airline will be based at Charleroi airport Bruxelles-Sud, located 60 kilometers south of the Belgian capital Brussels. The information is provided by the Airline Geeks portal.

The airport in question will need to undergo an improvement in its infrastructure, as the new company will be destined for long-haul flights. A new “premium” terminal will be built in May this year, scheduled to be completed in one year, and “will allow future passengers to take 20 minutes between parking the car and checking in, going through security and getting to the gate boarding”. The airline said that there will be a temporary measure while the terminal is not completed.

Air Belgium will initially operate a fleet of four A340-300s with a capacity for 303 passengers divided into three classes: 18 in business class, 21 in the economy class premium and 264 in economy class. The airline will operate flights to Asia, with Hong Kong to be the first scheduled destination with four weekly flights expected to expand to six weekly. Other Chinese destinations are being studied as well and the company expects to add new aircraft by 2020.

To fly, the airline needs an AOC (Air Operator’s Certificate), which Airline CEO Niky Terzakis has assured it will receive soon. “The arrival of the other two aircraft will allow the Belgian authorities to complete the latest technical audits and deliver the AOC,” he said.

Source: PANROTAS
Photo: Press Release