(From left) Antwerp Airport CEO Eric Dumas, TUI Western Region CEO Elie Bruyninckx, Antwerp mayor Bart De Wever and TUI fly Western Region MD Gunther Hofman welcome the first of the new Embraers to Antwerp.
A short runway at one of its main departure points has prompted the Belgian unit of European leisure airline TUI Airways to acquire Embraer E195-E2s.
TUI fly Belgium will fly three aircraft leased from AerCap; two have already been delivered, with services starting in June, with the third scheduled to arrive in time for the summer holiday peak period.
The aircraft, which are operated in a single-class, 136-seat configuration, will primarily be operated from Antwerp Airport, whose main runway is only 1,510 m (4,950 ft.) long.
“TUI Airline operates a global network with a fleet of some 130 airplanes,” TUI Western Region CEO Elie Bruyninckx noted. “In order to operate from Antwerp, we have always had to look for special airplane types because the short runway is not suitable for larger jets. Taking advantage of an increased range [of the E195-E2] of more than 4,000 km [2,500 mi.], we are able to add very popular destinations to our Antwerp network such as the Canary Islands, the Turkish Riviera and the Greek islands.”
Opened in 1923, Antwerp Deurne is one of Europe’s oldest airports and is now surrounded by the city. The halving of noise levels compared to previous-generation aircraft is also a factor in bringing in the new crossover jets.
The aircraft will operate primarily from Antwerp but will also fly from Ostend and Brussels.
Related Content
