FLYINGGROUP Invested 5 Million Euro in Antwerp HQ

FLYINGGROUP, FLYINGGROUP, the largest business jet company in the Benelux, invested more than 5 million euros in its new headquarters at Antwerp International Airport. The Belgian company remains confident in the future and expects a rapid revival of the industry. The modern, 100% energy-neutral headquarters and the new corporate identity are the symbols of this.

“Business aviation is an essential element in the success of economic hotspots. The same applies to Antwerp, which is the economic capital of Belgium. Our belief in the future is so strong that today we just inaugurated our brand new, 100% energy-neutral headquarters at Antwerp Airport. FLYINGGROUP invested around 5 million euros in the project. We are more than ever ready to receive our customers even better in the most modern and most secure way", says Bernard van Milders, chairman and founder of FLYINGGROUP.

REBRANDING
The new FLYINGGROUP corporate identity and website were also unveiled. “We are building on our customer-centric DNA. The iconic aircraft, which graced the previous logo for the past 25 years, is pointing its nose towards the future. Everything is aligned with the renewed vision of the future”, says Kristiaan Cloots, Director Marketing. “Our new baseline, 'DESTINED TO DELIGHT', is reflecting the essence of FLYINGGROUP: our passionate commitment to providing our customers with a high-quality service in all aspects of their journey, for both current and future generations of Business Aviation fans”.

FLYINGGROUP wants to continue to focus on excellent service and sustainability. The FLYINGBUBBLE concept, in which the customer is offered a door-to-door driver service with electric vehicles from home to his final destination, is a good example. Cloots: “We have set up a one-point-contact procedure for baggage handling, and we monitor our fleet hygienically continuously. We want both our corporate and leisure customers can remain operational safely in their bubble while saving time, an essential characteristic of business aviation.”

SUSTAINABILITY
“Our ambition to reduce our CO2 emissions is not only reflected in our strategic memorandum and our energy-neutral head office. We know that the future will also include hydrogen and electric flying. That is not yet possible, but as soon as these new aircraft are approved for commercial flights, we will be the first Belgian company to add them to our fleet,” says Cloots. “In the meantime, we continue to innovate step by step in terms of sustainability, both in terms of our fleet and organisation.”

Johan Van Lokeren, CEO of FLYINGGROUP: “COVID-19 mainly had consequences for the number of flights performed. That was most visible during the first lockdown. In July and August, the market recovered significantly. We even performed better than in the summer of last year. However, it should be noted that in terms of turnover, the impact is considerably smaller, because the majority of our income comes from the management of our customers' aircraft anyway.”

Bernard van Milders concludes: “We, therefore, continue to look to the future of business aviation with full confidence. FLYINGGROUP is solid and has sufficient financial reserves. We are strong enough to face difficult circumstances.”

ABOUT FLYINGGROUP
FLYINGGROUP has been active since 1995 from Antwerp, where the head office is also located. Over the years, the company has expanded its activities to other airbases in Europe and the Middle East (Brussels, Kortrijk-Wevelgem, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Paris, Geneva, Zurich, Malta, and Dubai).

FLYINGGROUP is taking care of the entire management of its customers' business aircraft, including maintenance. The pursuit of high-quality service has led to ever-increasing customer confidence. As a result, the Antwerp company is a reference in private and business aviation in the Benelux and France.

FLYINGGROUP currently manages 42 aircraft, eight of which are based in Antwerp. In 2019, 5,679 flights were performed. The consolidated turnover amounted to more than 74 million euros in the previous financial year.

FLYINGGROUP has more than 233 experienced employees, 103 of whom are crews. 86 people work at the head office in Antwerp.

Facts and figures relating to the new headquarters

The new FLYINGGROUP headquarters at Antwerp International Airport is 100% energy neutral. The offices, meeting rooms, passenger and crew lounge are housed in a sustainable, state-of-the-art construction. The existing buildings were also thoroughly renovated. The most modern construction techniques were used. The new building produces more energy than it actually needs. In addition to the aircraft hangar, there is also a meeting place and event hall that includes a bar and an art gallery.

The roof and the outer façade are covered with 408 solar panels covering a total of almost 700 sq metres. A geothermal power plant with 18 geo-energy probes is located 150 meters below the building. This impressive cooling and heating system with huge water tanks that hold about 30,000 liters of rainwater carries heat to and from the underfloor heating and cooling in the building.

For this project, FLYINGGROUP called on A2D Architects and energy expert engineer Geert De Bruyn. The construction works were carried out by ASK Romein (Malle, Belgium). The limited construction area was a specific challenge because both the FLYINGGROUP building and the access road to the airport had to remain in use during the works. The preparation took about 13 months. The construction itself took 15 months (= 21,120 hours of workers + 3,800 hours of planning and supervision).

The building itself is all about health and sustainability: energy-neutral, sustainable mobility (bicycle shed with electric charging points, drying room for wet bicycle equipment), healthy indoor air, healthy food, fruit at work, sun-oriented work terrace ...

• The total surface area of ​​the FLYINGGROUP buildings at the airport: 8,000m²
• Number of m² renovated / rebuilt,
  • Demolition and new construction: 600 m² ground surface (800 m² usable space)
  • Drastic renovation: 800 m² ground surface (650 m² usable space)
  • Light renovation: 550 m²
• Total expected production of the solar panels: 115,000 kWh
• Total expected production of the drillings: 70 kW cooling and 60 kW heating
• The total expected energy consumption of the new building is 36,600 kWh. The surplus will be used for the other buildings.
• EPC value of the building: -59