Inside Brussels Airlines

After the temporary suspension of all of its flights, Brussels Airlines has parked and stored its entire fleet (with the exception of a few aircraft on standby to bring stranded Belgians home) at Brussels Airport.

Carrier officials observe that: “If you think this is a simple task, just like parking a car, you should guess again. Storing an Airbus A330 takes about 400 man hours, as our Maintenance & Engineering teams meticulously follow Airbus manufacturer instructions to make sure that our birds are stored safely.”

And that, the carrier notes “means that all windows are taped to prevent sunlight from decolouring the interior, landing gears and engines are thoroughly packed so that birds cannot nest in them and to prevent corrosion. All our seats are covered as well, to keep them crisp and clean.”

Not surprisingly, the airline points out that: “All this creates an unusual, but spectacular sight at Brussels Airport. As an airport is not made to park so many aircraft at the same time, a taxiway even had to be cleared.”

“One might think that after parking and locking an aircraft, there’s nothing left to do but wait until it can take off again. But in reality, the Brussels Airlines Maintenance & Engineering teams are kept quite busy in order to keep the fleet in tip-top shape.”

The carrier points out that: “Every day, for example, the wheels have to be turned just slightly, to make sure they don’t get worn out under the weight of the aircraft and every week, inspections and tests need to be performed. 30 Maintenance & Engineering colleagues still work full-time to perform all these tasks. They make sure that our fleet is ready to welcome our guests on board once we’re able to take off again.”

If you want to check it out, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=27&v=t9I4mjwN2iE&feature=emb_logo .

Photos and video courtesy of Brussels Airlines