Brussels Airport invites aircraft fans for yearly "Spotters' Day"
Brussels Airport is hosting its annual Spotters’ Day on Monday, giving 20 passionate plane spotters the rare chance to watch, film and photograph aircraft from the tarmac. Now in its eighth edition, the event is organised to thank the airport’s large and active spotter community.
The participants were chosen from 165 entrants in an online contest that tested their knowledge of the airport and asked for their best aircraft photo. Winners are spending the day up close with planes as they land and take off.
Next to spotting planes, the aircraft fans are also getting a behind-the-scenes look at the technical maintenance of a plane in a Brussels Airlines hangar. The day concludes with a visit to Melsbroek military airport to see the large A400M transport aircraft.
“Brussels Airport has two spotter platforms around the airport that are freely accessible,” said spokesman Jeffrey Franssens. “But what makes today unique is that spotters can come right up to the tarmac and—from a safe distance—take pictures of the aircraft."
Special liveries
The aircraft fans are able to spot planes from seventy airlines at Brussels Airport, including intercontinental and government aircraft. Some airlines even bring in planes with special liveries on Monday, because they know the airport is organising Spotters’ Day. That includes Brussels Airlines' Trident, used to transport Belgium’s national football team.
For the participants, the day has already brought memorable sightings. “I saw an Icelandic aircraft land that has never been at Brussels Airport before,” said Lowie Van Gorp, who has collected 100,000 aircraft photos over the past two years.
Maarten De Bondt spotted a Pakistani army plane and was equally impressed by “seeing a big Boeing 787 so close up. This is super.”
© BELGA PHOTO/VIDEO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
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