Ostend–Bruges International Airport

Ostend–Bruges International Airport (Dutch: Internationale Luchthaven Oostende-Brugge) (IATA: OST, ICAO: EBOS), commonly known simply as Ostend Airport (Dutch: Luchthaven Oostende), is an international airport located 2.7 nautical miles (5.0 km; 3.1 mi) south southwest[1] of Ostend, West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, near the coast and about 25 km (16 mi) from the city centre of Bruges. Although freight transport is the focus of a large proportion of its activities, the airport is increasingly used for passenger flights, mainly charter and holiday flights organised by tour operators. It is also often used for private business flights.

Ostend–Bruges
International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerFlemish Region
OperatorEgis Group
ServesBruges and Ostend, Belgium
LocationOstend, West Flanders, Flemish Region
Elevation AMSL13 ft / 4 m
Coordinates51°11′56″N 002°51′44″E
Websiteost.aero
Map
EBOS
Location in Belgium
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
08/26 3,200 10,499 Concrete/Asphalt
Statistics (2019)
Freight (tonnes)24,753 010.7%
Passengers457,423 08.9%
Aircraft movements25,461 04.6%
Sources: Belgian AIP[1]

History
Main building

During the Second World War, the Luftwaffe moved the airfield of Ostend-Stene to a site in the territory of the municipality of Middelkerke, five kilometres southwest of Ostend. It played a major role in the air battle with Britain. After the war, the airport of Raversijde-Middelkerke was turned into an international airport by the Department of Airways which had been established by that time.

In 1992, the ownership of the regional Flemish airport was transferred from the Belgian State to the Flemish Region. The airport was given a new name: "Ostend–Bruges International Airport".

On 23 May 2003, Mr. Gino Vanspauwen was appointed CEO/Managing Director of Ostend–Bruges International Airport by the Flemish government. He effectively took up his duties on 1 June 2003. The airport was operated by the Department of Mobility and Public Works of the Flemish government. The Flemish Government made an agreement with Egis Group to operate it starting 2014 for a duration of 25 years. Between May and December 2003, Ryanair operated a route between Ostend and London-Stansted.[2]

For 2015, Jetairfly began service to a number of new destinations from Ostend. In the summer season of 2015, Jetairfly operated services to a total 20 destinations. As of summer 2017, these services are operated under the new name of TUI fly Belgium, with 21 destinations.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and seasonal flights at Ostend–Bruges International Airport:[3]

AirlinesDestinations
TUI fly Belgium[4] Alicante, Gran Canaria, Hurghada, Málaga, Sharm El Sheikh, Tenerife–South
Seasonal: Antalya, Bodrum, Burgas, Chania, Corfu, Djerba, Enfidha, Eskişehir, Heraklion, Ibiza, İzmir, Kos, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca, Rhodes, Varna

Cargo
AirlinesDestinations
EgyptAir Cargo[5] Cairo
Jota Aviation[6] Birmingham

Ground transportation

By car

The airport is located next to the N318 and N341 national roads.

By bus

Bus 6 connects the airport to Ostend's city centre as well as Ostend railway station which operates intercity trains to Antwerp, Brussels and Liege. The bus is operated by De Lijn.

Accidents and incidents
  • On 16 November 1937, a Junkers Ju 52/3m of the Belgian airline Sabena crashed on approach due to bad weather. The aircraft flew against a chimney of a brickyard in Stene. All 11 passengers and crew, including Georg Donatus and his family, were killed.
  • On 21 July 1992, Douglas DC-3C LX-DKT of Legend Air was damaged beyond repair when it was blown into Boeing 707 Z-WKV during a storm.[7] As of 28 July 2010, the aircraft was still at the airport.[8]
  • On 26 July 1997 during an airshow taking place at the airport, a Jordanian stunt pilot, Captain Omar Hani Bilal of the Royal Jordanian Air Force display team, the Royal Jordanian Falcons, was killed when he lost control of his Walter Extra EA300s. His plane crashed at the end of the runway and burst into flames near a Red Cross tent and spectator stands. On the ground, eight were killed and forty injured.[9]
  • On 18 April 2001, an Ilyushin Il-76 overran the runway after an aborted take-off. The aircraft got stuck in the grass and hit the ground with the left wing. The plane would never fly again and was scrapped 2 years later at the airport.

See also

References
  1. AIP for EBOS – Ostend–Bruges International Airport from Skeyes
  2. "Ryanair quits Ostend".
  3. ost.aero - Summer programme 2016 Archived 2016-04-08 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 5 May 2016
  4. "Flight plan". tuifly.be.
  5. "EGYPTAIR CARGO". www.egyptair-cargo.com.
  6. "Jota Aviation start vrachtdienst tussen Oostende en Birmingham". www.luchtvaartnieuws.nl.
  7. "LX-DKT Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
  8. LX-DKT at Oostende, 15 June 2008 Nicholas Janssen. Retrieved on 28 June 2010
  9. "9 die when plane crashes at Belgian air show". World News Story Page. CNN Online. July 26, 1997. Archived from the original on December 8, 2008.

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