Walloon Minister in charge of Airports Jean-Luc Crucke officially inaugurated the extended runway at Brussels South Charleroi Airport this Friday. The additional 650 metres bring the length of runway 06/24 to 3,200 metres, allowing long-haul flights.
“This extension represents a very important economic opportunity“, said Jean-Luc Crucke. “It is a small step for man, but a huge step for the airport with multiple positive effects“, he added enthusiastically.
Air Belgium already operated long-haul scheduled flights from Charleroi, in particular to Hong Kong and the French Antilles, with its Airbus A340-300 aircraft, but the shorter length of the runway compelled the pilots to push the engines to their limits, causing premature ageing, and the airline to limit the number of passengers per flight.
Air Belgium will continue using Charleroi Airport for some of its long-haul flights, but discussions are also underway with other airlines likely to be interested in the new possibilities offered by the airport.
