On March 22, 2016, the Belgian international airport (Brussels) appeared on the front pages of newspapers and in the main news of television channels. The terrorist act shocked many people who had come to the capital of Belgium through this air harbor. Indeed, according to a survey conducted in 2005, one hundred thousand respondents called Brussels Airport the best in Europe. Well, no one is safe from terrorist attacks. Most likely, the consequences of the explosions will soon be eliminated, and the security of the terminal will be strengthened to prevent such acts in the future. Let's look at how interesting this airport is with such an eloquent name: "Welcome to Europe."
History
It is interesting that the Germans presented the hub to the inhabitants of the capital of Belgium . At the beginning of World War I, they invaded the country and urgently built a hangar in an open field for launching airships. This structure passed several times from one warring side to another. Each time the Germans got their hangar, they modernized it and equipped the airfield in every possible way. The glorious combat past of this building has become a page in the history of aeronautics. After the war, an airport was built here on the airfield. Brussels finally invested its funds in arranging the hub. Now the air harbor receives about twenty million passengers a year. It is used as its base by such major carriers as Brassels Airlines, Lufthansa and BiEmAi. Aeroflot sends here its aircraft from several large cities of the Russian Federation.
Airport scheme
The air harbor of the Belgian capital consists of only one terminal. But do not flatter yourself. international airport (Brussels), calling itself the gateway to Europe, is multilevel. It consists of zones A and B, and in the future additional compartments will be added to them. But for now, everything is simple. “A”, connected to the main building by a covered passage, serves passengers traveling to the Schengen countries. “B”, by contrast, is used for international flights to countries that have not acceded to this agreement. We are now starting to consider the levels. Level -1 is the underground floor. If you want to take a train to get from Brussels airport to the city center (as well as to other settlements in Belgium), then you are here to the train station. A floor above (Level 0) is its bus counterpart. Levels 1 and 2 are the arrivals hall. Here you will find a travel agency, racks of various companies from which you can rent a car, post office, ATMs. Level 3 - for departing passengers. The entire floor is occupied by check-in counters for flights. The fourth level is the most beautiful. It is also called the Promenade. It offers panoramic views of the airfield, and here is the lion's share of all cafes and shops.
Belgian International Airport (Brussels): services
No wonder one hundred thousand respondents to the 2005 survey called this hub the most comfortable in Europe. Since then, the airport has been constantly upgraded and updated. Waiting rooms are equipped with comfortable chairs. A nice gift for passengers at the airport is free Wi-Fi. Everywhere you will find fountains with drinking water. There are a lot of services in the terminal: the Travelex counter for VAT refunds (located in the departure zone of the non-Schengen area), postal and banking departments, a travel agency, car rental offices, prayer chapels and meditation rooms. The only negative: many of these services are available only until nine in the evening. But the information panel is very convenient and understandable. Airport staff will do everything possible to complete the necessary formalities before and after the flight as soon as possible.
Brussels Airport: how to get to the city center
Naturally, the most hassle-free way would be to take a taxi. Elegant yellow-blue cars are waiting for their passengers when leaving the arrivals hall (on the first level). But such a trip will cost at least forty euros. And not the fact that she will be fast. Indeed, traffic jams are common in the capital. Brussels Airport is located in the town of Zaventem, which is twelve kilometers from the main city of the country. Therefore, the fastest mode of transport will be the train. The entrance to the station, as we have already mentioned, is located right in the airport terminal, at level -1. Electric trains run at quarter-hour intervals. They will quickly deliver passengers to all Brussels stations : Brussels Midi (the main station), North and Central.
How to get to other cities of Belgium
Many tourists traveling to the majestic Liege, the gingerbread of Bruges, the romantic Ghent or the ancient Antwerp, fly to Brussels. From the airport to the center you can get not only by train or taxi, but also by bus. Transportation is carried out by two companies. The first, De Lijn, delivers passengers to the Rudebek metro station. The second, MIVB / STIB, sends its buses not to the old city center, but to EU institutions. From Brussels Airport you can go straight to Antwerp. The cost of a bus ticket, which can be purchased from the driver, is ten euros. Travel time, depending on traffic congestion, is from thirty-five minutes to an hour. To get to other cities of the country, you must first get to the stations of Brussels. But carefully study the timetable at the train station in the airport terminal. Perhaps the train you need will go through Zaventem.
How to get to another airport in Brussels
The capital of Belgium has another hub. It is designed to receive low-cost low-cost airlines (WizzAir, EasyJet and others). This air harbor is located 60 kilometers south of Brussels, near the town of Charleroi. Unfortunately, there is no direct connection between the two airports. In addition to taxis, there are two ways to get to the low-cost hub. From Zaventem, you can take a train to any station in Brussels. From there you need to get to the Charleroi train station. Shuttles run from the town to the hub. The second way to get to the airport (Brussels - Charleroi) is combined. By train we get to the Midi station and take the bus.