CD&V

Speech by Yves Leterme at Airport ceremony for the inaugural flight of Qatar Airways to Brussels

January 31 2011, 7:39am

Your Excellency Mr Akbar Al Baker, Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Airways. Your Excellencies , • H.E. Dr. Khalid Bin Mohammad Al Attiyah, Minister of State for International Cooperation in Qatar• H.E. Abdul Aziz Al Noaimi, Chairman, Qatar  Civil Aviation Authority, • H.E. Sheikh Meshal Bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar’s Ambassador to BelgiumDear Colleagues,Ladies and Gentlemen,I will try to be brief, because  I understood the speeches are the last obstacle before the cake cutting ceremony and I doubt that anyone can deliver a speech that is as delicious as the cake looks. Today we celebrate the arrival of Qatar Airways on Brussels.  I’m very proud to be here and I am sincerely convinced that Brussels Airport offers all that Qatar Airways needs. Ladies and Gentlemen,Because of its location within the so called ‘FLAP rectangle’, Brussels Airport faces fierce competition from the airports in Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam and Paris. Nevertheless,  we have always done what is necessary to maintain the same level of quality as these airports and I can assure you that we will continue to do so in the future. That’s why Brussels Airport Company, the Belgian government and  everyone supplying services  at the airport, are dedicated to deliver services of the highest quality.In  that context representatives of Brussels Airport Company meet every week with the Federal Police, airport security and inspection, customs and the luggage handlers to find solutions for all the challenges the airport faces: maximising the capacity of the airport and the overall levels of customer service, and further increase the efficiency of the process at the border control and security checkpoints.  All actors involved and Brussels Airport Company in particular consider these meetings as an important element in their strategy to assure that the airport rates well with passengers and airlines. Further more the airport obtained very recently the Airport Carbon Accreditation. That is why it is not at all surprising that the Brussels Airport is perceived by many carriers as one of the most attractive airports in the regionLadies and Gentlemen,The federal government is also strongly involved in taking the necessary legislative initiatives to improve services and assure a stable working climate at the Airport.  And therefore I have to thank Etienne Schouppe, State Secretary for Mobility, as he succeeded recently in delivering new and necessary regulation on the selection of ground handling providers.  Moreover, he did so while taking into account the points of view of all stakeholders. From now on, in order to improve the quality of airport services even further, all airport handlers will have to meet certain benchmarks in order to receive the necessary certification by our Aviation Administration.  Belgian authorities and Brussels Airport are also strongly involved in the EU Collaborative Decision Making and Continuous Descent Approach. Ladies and Gentlemen,Qatar Airways was launched in January 1994 and is one of the fastest growing airlines operating one of the youngest fleets in the world. The numbers are really impressive: coming from 6 million passengers a year in 2006, the company carried  over 14 million passengers in 2010. And still the expansion goes on: today we are inaugurating the 98th destination of Qatar Airways and I heard the airline will reach the mark of 100 destinations shortly. Ladies and Gentlemen,This 98th destination also opens up economic opportunities for both our countries. On the one hand Belgium is already the most important European buyer of Qatari gas, on the other hand Belgian companies are playing an important role in helping Qatar develop its infrastructure and we are proud to do so. The result of all that was that our economic  relations increased drastically between 2000  and 2008: at the end of that period the value of Belgian exports to Qatar was up to 320,8  million Euro, while Qatar exported goods worth over a billion Euro to Belgium. The economic crisis had an impact on the economies of both our countries in 2009 and 2010, but I am convinced that the opening of a five weekly connection between Brussels and Doha marks the beginning of renewed intensity and recovery in our commercial relations.  And even more importantly: these flights will bring people from Qatar and Belgium closer to each other, and facilitate economic, cultural and sportive exchanges. In that context I want to congratulate Qatar with their success in attracting the World Cup in 2022. And of course Belgian know how will be available to help Qatar in developing the necessary infrastructure. In that respect this new connection between Brussels and Doha is more than welcome.To say it with the famous quote at the very end of the film Casablanca: “ Qatar, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship”. Of course it is not the beginning but the continuation of that friendship.