The Belgian regional airport of Liege (LGG), Europe’s eighth largest in cargo throughput, has teamed with ASL to pursue its ambition to expand its footprint in the business aviation market. Under the terms of the agreement signed May 9, ASL Group will construct and operate a hangar covering 2,100 sq m (22,650 sq ft) and a 250-sq-m dedicated bizav terminal that will have direct access to the apron and aircraft parking areas.
The contract with Liege Airport provides the possibility for ASL to build more hangars to accommodate more aircraft. “We want to make Liege a modern and exemplary hub for business aviation in Europe,” said ASL Group CEO Philippe Bodson. The company—which currently has 35 aircraft in its fleet and offers FBO services at various airports in Belgium and the Netherlands—will invest €3 million ($3.372 million) in the LGG facilities.
Société Wallonne des Aéroports, the public body that owns LGG, will invest €3.5 million in the bizav project and build a new apron on the north side of the airfield. According to Luc Partoune, CEO of Liege Airport, the main advantages of the new general aviation terminal include speed, discretion, and operational flexibility with no night curfew on flight movements. “The business aviation center will be directly connected with the motorway and will allow entrepreneurs, executives, and investors to move around quickly,” he noted. “Business aviation is a growing niche segment at our airport. Last year, more than 3,000 passengers used private jet services, an increase of 24 percent compared to 2017.”
Construction of the apron is expected to be completed in the coming weeks; work on the general aviation terminal and the ASL hangar will begin in late summer. Both facilities are expected to be operational in the summer of 2020.