Turkish leisure airline Corendon has kicked off the summer 2023 season at Brussels Airport, stationing three aircraft with the airport.
The tour operator is also seeing a large capacity contracted from Brussels Airlines, leaving more than 200,000 seats available with a 35% capacity expansion.
The kick-off
February 24 saw the tour operator Corendon kick off its summer season in Belgium, at Brussels International Airport (BRU).
The operator is expanding its high-season operation at Brussels Airport, and will station three aircraft at Brussels to cope with the capacity and demand.
This has also been helped on by Brussels Airlines, who have contracted a large amount of capacity with Corendon, leaving more than 200,000 seats available.
The contracted capacity will also leave Corendon with a 35% capacity expansion compared to the summer season of 2022, with the possibilities of the percentage becoming even greater.
Great demand
The operator has already seen great demand by Belgian customers and from within the market, and the number of bookings with Corendon by the Belgian holidaymakers has increased by 80% compared to the same period last year.
Corendon has also noted an increase in Dutch passengers travelling from Brussels Airport – compared to 2022, more than twice of Dutch travellers have chosen Brussels as a departure airport, rather than Amsterdam Schipol.
Destination wise, Corendon customers are able to fly to over twenty airports from Brussels, which consist of multiple destinations in Turkey, Egypt, Spain, Greece, Bulgaria and Portugal.
Statements
Steven van der Heijden, CEO of Corendon, commented on the strengthened relations: “We have been very warmly welcomed by Brussels Airport and we are delighted that we are able to expand our capacity at the airport even further this summer.”
“Brussels Airport is an important airport for Corendon; not only for our Belgian customers but also increasingly for our Dutch customers, now the reputation of Schiphol is under pressure.”
“Because Schiphol has announced that flights will again have to be cancelled in the coming months, we see our Dutch customers – particularly in the provinces of Brabant, Limburg, Zeeland and South Holland – more frequently choosing Brussels.”
“We are therefore expanding our successful collaboration with Brussels Airport,” he concluded.
The CEO of Brussels Airport Company, Arnaud Feist, also commented, saying: “The increased capacity of Corendon at Brussels Airport is very good news for our Belgian and foreign passengers who will have more possibilities for their future holidays.”
“The trust placed in us by Corendon demonstrates that Brussels Airport is a first–class airport where the customer experience comes first.”
“We are working together with all our airport partners to be ready to welcome an increasing number of passengers this summer, in particular by recruiting effectively where the needs are and by optimising our operations. A strategy that worked well for us last summer.”
Overall
Corendon are clearly looking at an outstanding performance rate from Brussels this summer season.
The strengthened relations with Brussels Airport clearly demonstrates this, as well with the stationing of three aircraft and over 200,000 seats open on the flights to the various destinations which are to be served.
All in all, the 2023 summer season appears to be yet another recovering season for the travel and airline industry after the covid-19 pandemic.
