On December 18, 2008 the contract, concluded on January 17, 2006 between NAMSA (NATO Maintenance and Support Agency), representing NATO interests and Ruslan SALIS GmbH, representing ANTONOV ASTC (Ukraine) and Volga-Dnepr (Russia) group of companies, was prolonged. The contract was prolonged till December 31, 2010. According to its terms, the AN-124-100 Ruslan airplanes of Antonov Airlines and Volga Dnepr are used within the limits of NATO SALIS (Strategic Airlift Interim Solution) programme. These aircraft carry cargoes by requests of 18 countries: Belgium, Hungary, Greece, Denmark, Canada, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Norway, United Kingdom, Poland, Portuguese, Slovakia, Slovenia, Finland, France, Germany, Czech Republic, and Sweden. In accordance with the contract 2 AN-124-100 airplanes are constantly based in the airport of Leipzig (Germany). In case of necessity the additional machines are being provided by request. Source: Antonov.

The MUG (Medical Emergency) helicopter operated by the Instituut voor Medische Dringende Hulpverlening in the Brugge region is back in the air, albeit with replacement machine, Aerospatiale AS-355F2 Ecureuil 2 OO-HSK (c/n 5187) owned by Hel Service Belgium. The previous machine Aerospatiale AS-355F1 Ecureuil 2 OO-HSB (c/n 5223) crashed on 23 November 2008 fortunately without harm to the occupants. (see BAHA news item - Medical emergency helicopter crashes near Brugge of 23/11)

Immediately before sundown a hot air balloon hit an electricity pole while landing near the Aartrijke-Torhout road. As the hot-air valve rope was torn off, a normal smooth landing had become impossible. The balloon basket slid over the ground for several meters until the envelope hit the electricity pole, narrowly avoiding colliding with some houses. Of the three occupants one person broke a leg and arm when exiting the basket. Source: Het Nieuwsblad.

Passenger and baggage handler Aviapartner and courier company DHL Aviation are to introduce a system of economical unemployment for a number of its workers as of early February 2009. These temporarily measures are introduced by Aviapartner as of February 1st as the company expects a drop of some 15% in passenger flights from and to Zaventem and a 20% drop in freight volume. DHL Aviation introduces a similar scheme on rotational basis as of February 2nd 2009. Source: De Standaard

Brussels Airlines has transported 15.9% less passengers over the month of November 2008 if compared with the same month one year earlier. This drop which is lower than the European average of 9.3% also translates in a decrease of load factor by 2% to 60.1%. Notwithstanding this the company said it will present a financial break-even or a small benefit over 2008. Source: De Standaard

The crash of the Kalitta Air Boeing 747 freighter at Brussels Airport on May 25th this year could probably be caused by the ingestion of a falcon in one of the aircraft's engines. At that point the pilot decided to abort take-off although his aircraft had passed V1 speed since six seconds. V1 speed is the highest velocity at which an aircraft can be safely stopped on the runway. This information was released in an intermediate report by Mobility Minister Etienne Schouppe (CD&V). Source: 7Sur7.

Antwerp based Flying Group has received the first of four Cessna Citation Mustang business jets to further expand its offer for private- and business flights. The diminutive Citation Mustang offers 4 seats and is marketed by Flying Group as a "personal jet". The Citation Mustang has a cruising speed of 630 km/h and a service ceiling of 12.5000 meters combined with a range of some 2.100 km. The FAA and EASA approved machine has a price tag of 2.7 million Dollar. Source Luchtvaartnieuws. & Flying Group

The TP400 power-plant developed for the A400M by EuroProp International (EPI) took to the air for the first time on 17th December 2008 on the Lockheed C-130K flight test-bed. The TP400 is installed on the inner left engine mount of the C-130K which is otherwise powered by three of the usually four Allison T56 turbopropellers The aircraft took off at 10.44 local time from Cambridge airfield (UK) where Marshall Aerospace, which is conducting the flight test-bed trials, is based, and touched down at 11.59 local time. The flight lasted one hour and 15 minutes. During the flight, various flight characteristics such as aircraft basic handling and TP400 response at a thrust equivalent to the maximum power generated by each of the other T56 engines were tested to satisfaction in several aircraft configurations up to a speed of 165kts and an altitude of 8,000ft. This was a first step in the aircraft envelope opening. It will allow progress towards the completion of the approximately 50 flight test hours planned to reach sufficient maturity for the engine itself. Once this is achieved and sufficient maturity and satisfactory integration is also reached for the global propulsion system, it will be able to subsequently fly on the A400M. EPI, which comprises Rolls Royce, SNECMA, MTU and ITP, started testing the TP400 in October 2005. More than 2,100 hours of ground testing have been performed with three engines on the ground test bench. To complete the trials, Marshall Aerospace was contracted by Airbus Military to perform the Flying Test Bed trials on a Lockheed C-130K. The aircraft was specifically modified to accept the new engine which develops about twice the power of the C-130K’s standard T56 engine. Source: Airbusmilitary. Pictures:  1  -  2  

16/12 - Etihad Airways increase frequency on Brussels Airport for the coming summer season.

From March 29th 2009 onwards Etihad Airways will increase the frequency on its link between Abu Dhabi and Brussels Airport form 4 weekly connections to six (only on Saturdays their is no flight). According to the company this increased frequency is needed to cope with the ever growing popularity of Abu Dhabi as destination for tourists and business men. On top of that more and more travellers use the link to continue their journey to Asia and Australia.  Etihad Airways uses an Airbus A3230-200 on its route to Brussels. Source: Luchtvaartnieuws. 

BAHA's sister association BAHAAT, specialised in wreck recovery, will organise it's annual remembrance ceremony for the crash of a RAF Lancaster bomber in the Kakebeke neighbourhood of St Maria Lierde on 21 December 2008 at 22h00L. It will be precisely 66 years ago that Lancaster DX-P W4234 of N° 57 Squadron RAF was shot down by a Luftwaffe night-fighter ME-110 killing six members of its crew.  More information on this crash can be found at www.bahaat.be and http://avrolanc.tripod.com/

The four Belgian Air Force Lockheed F-16AM fighters which operate over Afghanistan in the framework of the ISAF already dropped bombs in at least five occasions, French specialist revue "Air & Cosmos" reported. According to this French source some 12 GBU-12 250 kg laser guided bombs were dropped and at least in five occasions the aircraft used their M-61 Vulcan 20mm gun to strafe ground targets. The Belgian MoD said that the Belgian Air Force F-16's in Afghanistan already clocked some 625 flying hours 50 of which were made during "Quick Reaction Alert" (QRA) missions. This particular task is fulfilled alternatively with the Royal Dutch Air Force F-16's. Source;: De Standaard. 

Minister of Defence Pieter De Crem (CD&V) visited together with some member of parliament the assembly plant of at Seville (Sp.) of the new transport aircraft A400M, seven of which were ordered for the Belgian Air Force. Nine European countries ordered a total of 192 A400M aircraft which is suffering a production delay due to technical problems with the new turbo-prop engines. Belgium is to receive its first A400M in 2018 with the last and seventh one arriving in 2020. Source: www.mil.be. NL - FR

The European Union launched a program to develop a new air traffic management system to help cope with an increasing number of flights over Europe. Europe's air space has reached its limit with 28,000 flights a day, but that number is nevertheless expected to double by 2020, according to the Eurocontrol air traffic management agency. The EU is developing the 2.1 billion Euro "SESAR" system using satellite navigation and data links that would transmit digital messages directly to cockpit displays. The new system is expected to be up and running by 2020, replacing the radar and radio-based system that dates back to World War II. The current system forces planes to take longer, zigzagging routes that cost airlines about euro4 billion ($5 billion) annually in wasted fuel. The EU said the new system should make flights safer, shorter and less polluting by helping air traffic controllers direct planes more efficiently. In addition, the EU hopes the new system will enable a tripling of capacity, cut air traffic management costs by 50 percent, curb greenhouse gas emissions and achieve an overall punctuality rate of 95 percent, officials said. "This is one of the most complex research and development programs ever launched in (Europe)," said Antonio Tajani, vice president of the European Commission, the EU head office. Its impact will include fewer delays and increased airport capacity, he added. The new program will enable so-called "continuous-descent approaches" to the runway — effectively coasting down from cruising altitudes with the throttle on idle — thus decreasing fuel consumption and minimizing CO2 emissions. "Compared with today's way of managing aircraft, SESAR represents a paradigm shift," said Eurocontrol's director general David McMillan. "We will change the way we manage air traffic — no more skyways, just the most efficient trajectory to save fuel and time." The planned system will be similar to the new NextGen network being set up in the United States by the Federal Aviation Administration. NextGen also aims to replace the obsolete method of air traffic management where jetliners move in single-file lines along narrow highways in the sky marked by radio beacons. The European project, like NextGen, has been planned for years but faced repeated delays due to funding shortages and the complexities of the switch-over to the new technology. Source: Associated Press

At around 02h00 in the morning a fire was discovered in the I & E Aviation hangar at Antwerp -Deurne airport. Fire brigades of the airport and Antwerpen city managed to control the fire quickly and could safe all aircraft parked inside the hangar. Only the I&E office is destroyed. Source: Gazet van Antwerpen. Pictures at Aishows.be

A Portuguese Air Force Lockheed F-16A fighter got off the runway upon landing at Florennes Air Force base and the pilot ejected safely. The fighter which was participating at the Tactical Leadership programme (TLP) was landing when the pilot ran into troubles. When he missed the barrier at the end of the runway he made use of his ejection seat and landed safely. The aircraft did not suffer major damage.  All airborne formations were immediately diverted to Beauvechain and a single machine was guided into Kleine Brogel.  Source: De Morgen

Over the period starting in April until October 2008, Brussels Airlines' punctuality dropped considerably. According to the airline this is mainly due to the strike of the luggage handlers and the crash of a Boeing 747 of Kalitta Air at Brussels Airport. This and more very interesting statistics can be found in a newest publication by the Association of European Airlines "AEA) released on December 5th 2008: "Consumer Report - 2008"(pdf). Source: AEA and Skynet Actu & sports.

Since the cooperation agreement between Prime Minister Yves Leterme and Defence Minister Pieter De Crem in April, the unmanned aircraft of Defence have flown 67 hours over the North Sea to monitor pollutions. 239 ships were inspected, of which two were further investigated, but no illegal discharge was found. The Prime Minister Leterme and Minister De Crem reported Wednesday that next year, the number of flight hours will be increased to hundred. The aim of the cooperation agreement was to deploy unmanned aircraft to monitor the pollution of the North Sea. The UAV were previously used in Kosovo and Congo for military surveillance missions and for training in the military training zone over the sea. The idea was born to combine training flights with the monitoring of illegal discharges from ships. The B-hunters are equipped with a special camera that can transmit night detailed images of the shipping activities. The B-Hunters depart on irregular intervals from the military base of Koksijde. They fly over an area stretching from the French border over the shipping routes. The images collected by the military command in Koksijde can be forwarded to the Maritime Information Confluence (MIK) of the Central Coast at the naval base at Zeebrugge. There, all abnormal traces on the surface of the sea are immediately analysed and the suspected ships identified. If necessary, a police boat or a helicopter can carry out an inspection on board. While in the 90's about 50 oil spills were noted, since 2000 there are annually only thirty discharges noted. The total volume of discharges is declining and this while the last 10 years the traffic has doubled, the ships got bigger and carry diverse loads. Source: Mil.be and information on the IAI - Eagle B-Hunter UAV on www.BAHA.be

For the exercise "Deployed Falcon" a detachment of Lockheed F-16 fighters will deploy to the 1st Wing at Beauvechain airbase next week. During this period, night flights are possible on Tuesday and Wednesday night (9 & 10 December 2008). The night flights and training of it is very important in today's air operations. To minimize the impact on the environment, a large portion of these night flying exercises were flown during the "Cross Continental Deployment" in the United States. But it remains necessary to execute a number of night flights over our territory. They are spread in time and place (Beauvechain - Florennes - Kleine Brogel). During the week 5, 12 and 19, 2009, there will be a deviation from the standard night flight schedule for 2 W Tac Florennes (EBFS) and 10 W Tac Kleine Brogel (EBBL). Source: Mil.be

The restricted Ministerial Comity has confirmed that Belgium wants to actively participate in the reinforcement of the MONUC (United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo) in Eastern Congo. This aid will consist of means of transport besides intelligence gathering capacity. The Air Component is to provide one and eventually two Lockheed C-130H Hercules transports and up to four Agusta A109AB helicopters . Source:  De Morgen

Air Component's N° 40 Squadron based at Koksijde performed the following scramble missions with their Sea King helicopters over the month of November 2008:

01/11/2008: Two persons picked up after distress call of Yacht "ALESANDER VAN HUMBOLDT" and flown to Veurne
03/11/2008: Tracing a distress signal (243) in Zeebrugge harbour
09/11/2008: Transfer of divers to the "JADE RIVER" after a bomb suck up 
10/11/2008: Tracking a sail of a kite surfer
12/11/2008: Evacuation of a person with an acute appendicitis from the "CHAMPION" and transferred to Veurne
12-13/11/08: Medevac of 2 burned persons from Aarle to Neder-over-Heembeeck (NOH)
14/11/2008: Evacuation of sick from the platform "VAGANT" and flown to AZ Brugge
15/11/2008: Kite surfer in distress of the coast of Heist.

Source: Mil.be

Belgian aerospace company Sonaca has delivered over three hundred faulty wing leading edge slats to Airbus Industrie between March and September of this year. The financial damage to Sonaca could be up to three million Euros. At the origin of the production fault is a solvent used for painting the slats. Prescribed procedure for the treatment of the slat surfaces was not followed to the letter.  Source: Het Laatste Nieuws.

The Council of Ministers has approved the proposal by Minister of Defence Pieter De Crem (CD&V) to launch a call for tender for the maintenance of the Air Component's F-16 Standard Wing Weapon Pylons (SWWP). The maintenance is needed to keep the equipment operational and to avoid excessive wear and tear. Source: Presscenter.

The Belgian Ministry of Defence will open a call for tenders for the renovation of two hangars at Chièvres airbase (near Mons). The cost of the operation is estimated at 3.5 million Euros and will be financed by the United States and NATO. For the moment Chièvres airbase is used by the 309th Airlift Squadron of the United States Air Force (USAF) operating C-37 'Gulfstream 5" aircraft in support of the SHAPE. The US Army also detached two UH-60 "Blackhawk" helicopters. Source: 7Sur7.

Indian airline tycoon Naresh Goyal owner of the largest private carrier, Jet Airways (India) Ltd, has begun cutting capacity on overseas routes in order to battle rising costs. The carrier has substituted its new, 479-seater Boeing 777 airliner with an Airbus 330, which carries 335 passengers on the Brussels route and as already reported stops its recently opened Brussels - Bangalore link. At Zaventem the exclusive First Class passengers lounge will remain empty as the Airbus does not provide first class passengers’ seats. More cuts are not excluded. Source: Het Laatste Nieuws.

Aeronautical company Sonaca has been awarded an 80 million Dollar contract by Brazilian aircraft constructor Embraer covering a period from 10 to 15 years. The company is to build main parts of the wings of the business jets Legacy 450 and 500. This contract not only secures 180 jobs with the company but it will also create some 30 news jobs.  Source:  7Sur7.

Airbus, the world’s biggest maker of commercial aircraft, said the first flight of the A400M military-transport plane is unlikely to take place before the second half of next year as it struggles with engine difficulties. The A400M’s test flight has been delayed by continuing problems with the Fadec engine-control system, for which Airbus is awaiting a new plan from engine manufacturers. Source: Bloomberg.com

Due to heavy snowfall Charleroi Brussels-South Airport had to close down for all traffic on Sunday afternoon.  All flight were delayed but not cancelled but if snowfall continues at the same pace flight will have to be rerouted to other Belgian airfields. Source: 7Sur7

Belgium has scrapped proposals to charge an aviation tax on passengers, which would have raised €132m for government coffers. The charge would have amounted to between €5 and €50 per passenger but tension between the federal and regional governments has seen the plans dropped. Source: Business Travel World

Chinese airline Hainan Airlines want to build its own international air terminal at Charleroi airport. This proposal is only one of three the Walloon Government received in their search for a private partner for the airport. The Chinese company wants to use Brussels South -Charleroi Airport as one of its hubs to serve a network of European destinations.  Such a network would only be possible if Hainan acquires a European airline. Last year Hainan Airlines signed a three year contract with Brussels Airport for direct links with Beijing which will be extended with links to Shanghai and Hong Kong as of net year. All of these operations may move to Charleroi if the deal goes through. Source: De Standaard.

From November 29th 2008 until May 3rd, 2009 the Royal Army and Military History Museum organizes a commemorative exhibition, dedicated to Pierre de Caters who on November 30th, 1908 became the first Belgian aviator. The exhibition centred on a life-size replica of his Voisin biplane will also include several large scale-models, exceptional engines and original documents.

"Le N° 349 (Belgian) Squadron au combat 1943-1945" is the title of a new book released by André Bar and BAHA member Jean-Louis Roba. Relating the day-to-day life in the squadron during the two final years of the Second World War, this work is a very detailed complement to the late Guy De Win's 349 Squadron reference published by BAHA: "349 Squadron From Sunrise till Sunset". "Le N° 349 (Belgian) Squadron au combat" is published by Editions De Krijger (ISBN: 978-905868-192-0) and contains numerous pictures both authors were authorised to use by family members of the 349 Squadron wartime pilots. Very recommended reading. Ordering: http://www.dekrijger.com/  -  Cover

The Belgian Government had decided to extend the deployment of four Air Component Lockheed F-16AM fighters to Afghanistan until the end of August 2009. The deployment of four fighters to Kandahar air force base, called operation "Guardian Falcon", has started early September 2008 and is organised in the framework of NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). If  next Friday the government approves the detachment of 70 Belgian military instructors to the Afghan army a total of some 500 Belgian military personnel will be active in Afghanistan. Source: Le Soir. 

Franco-German aerospace group European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) hasn't suspended production of its A400M military transport aircraft, but is slowing it down. "We've decided to slow down A400M production due to uncertainties around the program, which are already widely reported," a spokeswoman for the company said. French business daily Les Echos reported Tuesday that EADS has suspended A400M production to avoid a backlog of assembled planes before test flights have begun. Source: Easybourse

Soon the Zutendaal airfield will be active as a glider field. Several markings are painted on the runway (24-06) and the fist safety tests are conducted on November 4th 2009.  Zutendaal is a "reserve" airbase used mainly to store equipment and archives. Some retired Agusta helicopters are in long term protective storage here. Source: www.airshows. be  -  Zutendaal seen from space..

On May 2nd 2009 budget airline Ryanair is to open a new link between Charleroi - Brussels South airport and Trapani in Sicily. Aimed specifically on holiday travel the new link will be flown three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Ryanair expects the route to generate annually some 40.000 extra passengers for Charleroi. Trapani is Ryanair's tenth destination from Charleroi. Source: Luchtvaartnieuws

Holiday airline Jetairfly will add two new destinations from Charleroi Airport for next summer-holiday season: Djerba and Monastir in Tunisia. With the addition of the two new links Jetairfly will be offering seven destinations out of Charleroi as from next summer. Source: Luchtvaartnieuws

Over the past (wet) summer Lockheed F-16A Fighting Falcon FA-27 was rather silently put on display as a gate guardian at the Sabca Gosselies plant. FA-27 was a real survivor, being one of the last non MLU upgraded F-16s to be retired from service and having served as a test-bed for the Carapace ECM suite. After this test period the aircraft was withdrawn from use at Weelde airbase for the first time in 1995. By 1999 the fighter was again operational with N° 2 Wing wearing the "FS" tail-code only to be finally retired again October 16th 2003. As early as May 2006 and after surviving being "reprocessed" at the Rocourt facilities the machine was earmarked to become a gate guardian at Sabca Gosselies. Now FA-27 has finally found its well deserved spot near the very place were it was born in 1981. Picture by Charles Mali.

A Boeing 747F of Cargo B Airlines was damaged on take-off from runway 07L at Brussels Airport when the tail of the freighter touched the runway. The aircraft continued its take-off and returned back for a safe emergency landing at Zaventem. The crew of three did not suffer any injuries. Source: De Redactie

Belairbus, the joint-venture between Sonaca, Asco and Eurair have reached an agreement with Airbus to develop, design and produce the leading edge slats for the new Airbus A350 XWB. In the light of the current market previsions this contract could represent a total turnover of more than a billion dollars up to 2019.  Belairbus already supplies as a single source the complete slat-slat track systems (Leading Edge Devices) for the A310, A319/A320/A321, A330/A340, A340- 500 / 600 and for the A380. Source: De Tijd

On 25 Oct ‘08 flights SN2587 (BRU - THF) and SN2588 (THF-BRU) with BAe.146-200 registration OO-DJG from Brussels Airlines were the last flights to and from this historical airport. As of Oct 26th 2008 all 5 daily flights will be operated to/from Berlin Tegel with the Avro RJ85 or Avro RJ100. The second daily flight out of BRU will be flown with an Airbus A.319.

Barco was awarded a contract from Eurocopter to supply mission displays for the AS 565 Panther helicopter. The contract is part of an upgrade program that will gear up the AS 565 fleet of the French navy with an advanced mission display solution. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed. Under terms of the contract, Barco will supply its MDU-268 Mission Displays Units, 6-inch-by-8-inch, DO-160E-certified displays with digital video input and various analog video inputs. Source: Aviation Today

Three huge 30 ton Mil MI26T Halo helicopters have been noted being loaded aboard trucks at Charleroi airport (RA06032 and RA06041) and Liège (RA06021) as they are scheduled to be transferred to the manufacturer Rostvertol to be overhauled and upgraded to T2S standard (including night vision compatible cockpit) in order to make them ready for the next fire-fighting season 2009. The Bierset machine already arrived at the port of Bruges while the two Gosselies machines are expected for next week. The tree Halo's are to be shipped to Russia by boat. Pictures by Tom Brinckman

Indian airline Jet Airways is to reduce its planned frequency on the Brussels - Bangalore route from 31st of October onwards. The daily fight is to be reduced to four flights weekly. During the Christmas holiday period, between December 15th and January 14th, the daily flights with an Airbus A330-200 will be reinstated. Source: Luchtvaartnieuws.

20/10 - Refurbished Lockheed C-130H Hercules CH-14 for the Belgian Air Component to fly soon

CH-14, the 'new' C-130 of the Belgian Air Component is soon to be test-flown. The transport aircraft was acquired from US company Evergreen with insurance money received when a major fire in one of Sabena Technics hangars destroyed Hercules CH-02 on 050506.  Sabena Technics personnel needed eighteen months to bring the former C-130E model up to the newest Belgian Air Component C-130H standards. Originally built in 1965 the aircraft was used for weather observing duties in the United States. According to former owner Evergreen the C-130 has clocked almost 20,361 flying hours and had its wing replaced. Delivery to the 15th Transport Wing is expected by early December 2008. Picture at SBAP

The monthly statistics on air traffic and airport movements in Belgium over September 2008 published by Belgocontrol show a 2.34% overall increase (+2.379 movements up to 101.709) compared to the same period one year earlier. Airport statistics give the following figures: Brussels Airport: 23.183 movements (- 2.37%), Oostende-Brugge: 8.708 (+28.32%), Charleroi-Brussels South: 8.257 (+3.20%), Antwerpen-Deurne: 7.246 (+5.81%) and Liège-Bierset: 4.500 (-2.81%). Canac controlled air traffic between flight levels 135 and 245: 52.194 (+0.96%). Source: Belgocontrol

Belgian all-cargo carrier CARGO B AIRLINES is set to mark the first anniversary of its launch of scheduled services out of Brussels with the planned arrival of its first B747-400 freighter before the end of this year. This new era opens up future possibilities for entering new markets and routes for Cargo B Airlines. Since starting services in October last year, Cargo B has operated older and more fuel-thirsty B747-200F. The new B747-400F will be deployed on three weekly flights to Latin America, serving Sao Paulo, Lima, Quito and Bogota. The two B747-200F aircraft will be retained to provide back-up and charter capacity during the coming months. Source: Cargo B

On the 14th World Route Development Forum, which this year took place in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, Brussels Airport for the first time won the Airport Marketing Award. For the European region Brussels Airport shares the first place with Athens Airport, which also won the award the previous three years. The World Route Development Forum is the annual global conference for the development of new airline routes. Over 250 airlines and 350 airports meet to discuss new route opportunities for the coming seasons. The Forum is the place to be for any airport to meet the many airlines that consider opening new routes or extending their existing flight offer. Source: Freesun

During the initialisation of a reciprocal agreement on safeguarding and protecting Jordanian and Belgian investments in both countries, Belgian Ambassador to Jordan, Jo Indekeu, indicated that Royal Jordanian Airlines will reactivate its direct flights between Brussels and Amman on April 1st 2009. More info at Mena FN.com

Award-winning author and illustrator Mick Manning and his wife Brita Granstrom have released a new children's book called Tail-End Charlie" which is based on the stories Manning's father told him as a young ten-year old boy. During the war, Des Manning, Mick's dad, was a tail -gunner on a North American B-25 Mitchell bomber carrying out low-level daylight raids on tactical targets such as bridges, marshalling yards and tank supply depots to support the advancing allied troops into the Netherlands. The fact that the Michel and its crew were based at Melsbroek airfield during these operations makes this work even more interesting for Belgian readers. As with all of the authors’ books, "Tail-End Charlie is not only full of colourful illustrations; but also features a detailed glossary to enable children to learn more about the subject. Tail-End Charlie by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom is published by Frances Lincoln, £11.99 (hardback).More on this subject in the next issue of BAHA’s magazine “CONTACT”.

06/10 - Etihad extends codeshare with Brussels Airline

Etihad Airways is to extend further its expanding global network by providing its customers with access for the first time to destinations in Scandinavia, following the expansion of its existing codeshare agreement with Brussels Airlines of Belgium.  Under the deal, which comes into effect on October 6, the Abu Dhabi-based airline will place its two-letter 'EY' code on Brussels Airlines' flights from the Belgium capital to Oslo in Norway, Stockholm and Gothenburg in Sweden, Helsinki in Finland and Copenhagen in Denmark.  In turn, the extended codeshare agreement will give Scandinavian air travellers access, via Brussels, to Etihad’s home base of Abu Dhabi and beyond it to nearly 50 destinations on the airline's global network which covers the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. Source: Just4airlines.com

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said his organisation needs more troops and equipment in Afghanistan and urges the member states to contribute. Operations are suffering from a shortage in helicopters and transport aircraft which made de Hoop Scheffer indicate that Belgium could help with deploying more Lockheed C-130H Hercules transport aircraft. To be clear, this is not a formal request but rather a suggestion towards the Belgian government as all member states will receive a request to fill the gaps in NATO's potential in Afghanistan. Source: De Standaard 

The new Congolese airline Air DC, owned for 51% by Hewa Bora (Belgian Group De Moerloose) and 49% by Brussels Airlines will restart covered by a Belgian licence. The first flights are expected to take place before the end of this year. The initial idea was to fly with a licence provided by the Republic of Mauritius. This avoided licensing problems as most Congolese airlines are on the European blacklist. However, the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo insisted on a Belgian licence. Brussels Airlines having accepted this solution is now to launch the procedure of the certification and inspection in Congo by Belgian services. Source: Belga