Brussels Airport is located 12 km northeast of Brussels, the capital of Belgium. More than 26 million passengers visited Brussels Airport in 2019. With this intensity, by the end of 2019, Brussels Airport became the 24th busiest airport in Europe. Brussels Airport, which is one of the ports where private jet flights are mostly organized due to its central location, is located exactly in the Zaventem municipality of the Flemish Brabant province in the Flemish Region of Belgium. Home to around 260 companies directly employing 20.000 people, the facilities serve as the home base of Brussels Airlines and TUI fly Belgium. In addition, there are special areas in the facilities for the purpose of serving private aircraft charter companies.
The company that operates the airport is known as Brussels Airport Company NV/SA. Before 19 October 2006 its name was BIAC (Brussels International Airport Company), created by Belgian law through the merger of BATC with the RLW/RVA ground operations departments. Since 2011, the airport has been owned by the Toronto-based Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (39%), the Macquarie Group (Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund I and Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund III) (36%), and the Belgian State (25%).
Brussels private jet charter prices
Although Brussels air charter fees depend on variables such as the number of passengers, departure airport, flight time, aircraft position, flight date, the prices for private jet charter from Istanbul → Brussels are as follows.
| Light Jet | 16.850 EUR |
| Midsize Jet | 20.450 EUR |
| Heavy Jet | 28.350 EUR |
These prices are average amounts and you can contact us on our flight reservation screen or by phone for the most accurate price information.
Brussels Airport began its operations as a military base
The origins of Brussels Airport in Zaventem date back to 1940, when the German occupation force claimed 600 hectares of agricultural land reserved as the reserve airfield “Steenokkerzeel”. There, the Luftwaffe established the Fliegerhorst Melsbroek and built 3 runways in the shape of a triangle. Today, these runways are still used by private jet charter services.
After the its liberation on September 3, 1944, the German infrastructure in Melsbroek fell into the hands of the British. In 1948, a new terminal building was built in place of the old wooden building. In 1955, a railway line was built from the city center of Brussels to the airport. The line was officially opened by King Baudouin on May 15, 1955. Until the 60s, many improvements were made in the facilities. Several hangars were built at the airport during the commercial boom of aviation in the 1970s. In 1976, a new cargo terminal was added to the facilities. In 1994, a brand-new terminal was built adjacent to the old 1958 building, and the two old piers were demolished and replaced with modern piers.
All services in a compact structure
In 2005, the airport was awarded the Best Airport in Europe by the Airports Council International and the International Air Transport Association (ACI/IATA) based on a survey of more than 100.000 passengers worldwide. In March 2009, the old mechanical Flight information display systems were replaced with electronic systems and renovation works on the facilities continued to date.
Brussels Airport uses a single terminal concept, meaning all facilities are located under one roof. The terminal building consists of several levels. The train station is located at −1, buses and taxis at 0, arrivals at level 2 and departures at level 3. Levels 2 and 3 are connected to the airport’s two piers (A and B).
Shops, bars and restaurants in the facilities are scattered throughout the building. There are several facilities in the departure area. These are mostly small shops such as convenience stores, aerodrome shop, pharmacy and coffee shop.
How to get from Brussels Airport to the city center?
Brussels Airport can be reached by car via the A201, which is directly connected to the Brussels Ring Road, and from there, direct access to Belgium’s main motorways is available. There are three car parks at the aerodrome, offering a total of 10.600 parking spaces. Due to this convenient road infrastructure, Brussels Airport is one of the places where European private jet traffic is most intense.
Various car rental services are also available at the aerodrome. Europcar, Hertz, Sixt and Thrifty are the main companies operating at Brussels Airport.
The Airport Train Station is located at level −1 under the aerodrome building. The train station has direct services to Antwerp, Brussels, De Panne, Ghent, Hasselt, Landen, Leuven, Mechelen, Nivelles and Quévy. At least four trains per hour, Eurostar (to London), Thalys (Amsterdam, Avignon, Cologne, Essen, Lille, Marseille, Paris and Valence) serve the most used connection to Brussels South Train Station, where international connections are offered by ICE.
What to eat, where to visit in Brussels?
The most important dish of Brussels, which has a world-renowned culinary culture, is interestingly baked potatoes. Among the local dishes of Brussels, where the influences of French cuisine are visible, mussels and frying are among the flavors that come into prominence. One of the most authentic and common foods of the region is Kebab wrap.
In Brussels, which stands out thanks to its artistic and cultural activities, the Grand Place, one of the liveliest squares in Europe, the Manneken Pis (Peeing Child Statue), which has become the symbol of Brussels, and the Cathedral of St. Micheal and St. Gudula are among the top places to visit.
