Brussels Airport

Brussels Airport (BRU)

The Brussels Airport is 12 kilometers northeast of the Belgian capital and processes 16 million passengers per year. The airport was built during the Second World War by the Germans. According to a legend the Belgians had shown the Germans a bad place to build an airport. They knew, as it happens, that it was frequently foggy there.

The new terminal Pier A is exclusively for Schengen flights. Many travelers complain, however, that there is a big distance between the check in counters and the gates for Pier A.

Local transport

Train

Brussels Airport has a train station in the basement of the terminal. The Airport City Express leaves from the station Zaventem (Airport) four times per hour to the stations Brussel-Zuid, Brussel-Centrum and Brussel-Noord. A one way ticket costs € 2.60. Liège and Leuven are also directly accessible from the airport by train. A direct train to Antwerp will be completed in 2010. See also the website for Belgian Railroads (tel: +32(0)2 528 2828).

Car and bus

The airport is along the N-201 and is easily accessible from the outer ring road around Brussels. Follow the signs for ‘Luchthaven Zaventem’. To get to the ring road from the airport follow the signs that say ‘RING’. The exits will take you almost anywhere.

The bus station can be found under the Arrivals Hall. Busses of the company De Lijn go to the centre of Brussels. The busses from STIB/MIVB go to the headquarters of NATO and the European Union and end at the train station Brussel-Luxemburg. There is a special SN Brussels Airlines Expressbus that goes every hour to Antwerp. A one way ticket costs € 8.00, children 2-11 years € 5.00.

Car rental Brussels Airport

The counters for the car rental companies in the Arrivals Hall are open from 6:30 until 23:00. There you will find Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, National/Alamo and Sixt. You can also reserve a rental car in advance using the service EasyTerra provides. They compare the rates of several providers in a single quote.

Taxi

Taxis stand outside of the Arrivals Hall. Cars with a proper permit identify themselves with a yellow and blue sticker. A ride to the centre of Brussels costs approximately € 30.

Airport Parking

The parking facilities are managed by two different businesses. Short and long term parking at the airport are looked after by N.V. Interparking S.A. (tel: +32 2 715 21 10). There are various possibilities. Express Parking is € 2.10 per half hour, Front Parking is € 2.50 per hour, and VIP Parking is € 15.00 per day (plus a one time only insurance of € 15.00).

Car Hotel offers facilities for long term parking along the E-19 and free shuttle services to the terminal. You must reserve 48 hours in advance. The price is € 13.00 per day, including guarding of the vehicle and insurance. There is also a carwash.

Services

Hotels

There is one hotel at the airport, the Sheraton Brussels Airport Hotel (tel: +32(0)2 710 8000). A cheap option just outside the airport is the Hotel Formule 1 Brussels Airport (tel: +32 2 725 69 00). For more hotels and reserving online you can go to Booking.com. They have a large offering of hotels with great internet rates.

Shops and restaurants

There is an extensive offering of snack bars, cafes and restaurants. All are developed by Restair, (tel: +32 2 719 77 00). The shops have the usual options, but a special statement should be made about Gobelins Art, a specialized Belgian tapestry and lacework store.

Baggage

Baggage safes can be found in the area of the bus station on Level 0. The price is € 7.50 per 24 hours. You can call the office for found objects at +32(0)2 753 68 20.

Information

The Departures Hall has a general information counter. You can also call +32(0)2 753 7753.

Business

On the fourth floor you can find the Regus Skyport Meeting Centre (tel: +32(0)2 714 02 00). There are 11 conference rooms with a capacity for two to 100 people.

The Airport Forum (tel: +32(0)2 714 0770) organizes receptions and offers lounges for groups. Furthermore, you can use here the telecommunication and secretarial services.

There is also the The Sky Hall Reception Room (tel: +32(0)2 280 8410) for large events, including catering. The Sky Hall can accommodate 1500 people.

Handicapped Persons

Handicapped passengers can get picked up or dropped off in front of the entrance. The entrances of the airport from the train station and the bus station have been adapted for wheelchair users. Taxis for wheelchair users: Taxi Hendriks (tel: +32(0)2 752 98 00).

Other services

On Level 0 is the First Aid station (tel: +32(0)2 753 63 63), close to the bus terminal. A Porter service (€ 2.50 per piece of baggage) is available at tel: +32(0)2 753 41 17. In the Communication Center and the Airport Forum there are computer terminals with internet. You can also connect your own laptop. You can a Catholic, Jewish, Islamic, Orthodox, and Protestant prayer spaces at the airport. There is also a reflections space for non religious persons.

Contact

Address

Brussels International Airport Company (BIAC)
Luchthaven Brussel Nationaal
B-1930 Zaventem
Belgium

Telephone, fax, email

Telephone: +32(0)2 753 4200
Fax: +32(0)2 753 4250
E-mail: info@biac.be

Airport Codes

IATA airport code: BRU
ICAO airport code: EBBR