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Brussels Airlines, Airbus A320-214, sn 1493, reg OO-SNB. Famous now because of her new livery in honour of Tintin.
Seen here taking a night rest at MAD/LEMD
It's good to be back in mainland Europe after what has been nearly 8 years since last visiting the region back in 2015; with Eurostar holding promotional fares, Brussels was by far the cheapest option so definitely did not want to miss the opportunity to visit not only the capital of Belgium, but also the home of the European Union. The trip also coincides with testing my new Canon EOS 2000D, which will come in handy for May 2023...
The flag-carrier of Belgium, Brussels Airlines has a somewhat checkered past; the current airline dates back to 7th November 2006, launching 5 months later on 25th March 2007 following the amalgamation of SN Brussels Airlines and the Belgian-based, Virgin Express... Prior to that, Belgium's previous flag-carrier was Sabena, which ceased trading on 7th November 2001 following the global downturn in air traffic and as a result of the parent company, Swissair also facing financial difficult and ultimately closed months later in 2002.
Today, Brussels Airlines is fully-owned by the Lufthansa Group who acquired a 45% stake in the company as early as 2008, increasing to 100% by 2017. Out of the Lufthansa Group airlines, Brussels Airlines has been sort of a Cinderella carrier of sorts; the airline only receiving investment with second-hand aircraft although that will change later in 2023 when new Airbus A320neos arrive as the carrier expands on medium-haul flights.
Their Airbus A330 fleet operate their long-haul flights; a niche for Brussels Airlines is their expansive flights to Central, East and West African countries, these being former Belgian, Dutch and French colonies which the Airbus A330s ply trade, operating alongside year-round flights to New York-John F. Kennedy and summer seasonal flights to Washington-Dulles.
Brussels Airlines operated amongst the oldest Airbus A330 fleet prior to 2020, the earliest origins going from 1993 to 1999 having started their carriers via numerous acquisitions from Air Inter, LTU and Swissair. The 9 elderly Airbus A330-200/300s have mainly been scrapped with the odd example still surviving albeit in long-term storage; the elderly Airbus A330s have since been replaced like-for-like by 9 younger Airbus A330-300s dating between 2005 to 2010, all acquired in stages between 2016 to 2019 having arrived from Cathay Pacific or Singapore Airlines, with one example from Lufthansa.
Currently, Brussels Airlines operates 9 Airbus A330s, all of which are Airbus A330-300s.
Sierra Foxtrot Golf is one of 9 Airbus A330-300s operated by Brussels Airlines, delivered new to Singapore Airlines as 9V-STB on lease from AWAS on 17th February 2009, the lease later transferring to DAE Capital from August 2017 and withdrawn from service on 8th August 2018. Brussels Airlines fully-acquired the airframe on 5th November 2008 and she is powered by 2 Rolls-Royce Trent 772B-60 engines.
Airbus A330-343X OO-SFG lifts off from Runway 25R at Brussels-Zaventem (BRU) on SN349 to Douala (DLA) then Yaoundé-Nsimalen (NSI).
Manneken Pis, meaning "Little Pisser" in Dutch, is a small bronze sculpture in the centre of Brussels, Belgium, depicting a naked little boy urinating into a fountain's basin. It was designed by Hiëronymus Duquesnoy the Elder and put in place in around 1618. The current statue is a copy which dates from 1965.
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A very interesting place, but only open at limited times. You can ride on historic trams on Sunday afternoons.
This 1903 car is at Montgomery Station. This track on the surface is only normally used by certain depot runs.
In 1830, the Belgian revolution took place in Brussels after a performance of Auber's opera La Muette de Portici at the La Monnaie theatre. Brussels became the capital and seat of government of the new nation. South Brabant was renamed simply Brabant, with Brussels as its capital. On 21 July 1831, Leopold I, the first King of the Belgians, ascended the throne, undertaking the destruction of the city walls and the construction of many buildings. Following independence, the city underwent many more changes. The Senne had become a serious health hazard, and from 1867 to 1871 its entire course through the urban area was completely covered over. This allowed urban renewal and the construction of modern buildings and boulevards characteristic of downtown Brussels today.
Throughout this time, Brussels remained mostly a Dutch-speaking city, though until 1921 French was the sole language of administration. During the 20th century the city has hosted various fairs and conferences, including the Solvay Conference on Physics and on Chemistry, and two world fairs: the Brussels International Exposition of 1935 and the Expo '58. During World War I, Brussels was an occupied city, but German troops did not cause much damage. In World War II the city was again occupied, and was spared major damage during its occupation by German forces before it was liberated by the British Guards Armoured Division. The Brussels Airport dates to the occupation.
After the war, Brussels was modernized for better and for worse. The construction of the North–South connection linking the main railway stations in the city was completed in 1952, while the first Brussels premetro was finished in 1969, and the first line of the Brussels Metro was opened in 1976. Starting from the early 1960s, Brussels became the de facto capital of what would become the European Union, and many modern buildings were built. Unfortunately, development was allowed to proceed with little regard to the aesthetics of newer buildings, and many architectural gems were demolished to make way for newer buildings that often clashed with their surroundings, a process known as Brusselization.
The Brussels-Capital Region was formed on 18 June 1989 after a constitutional reform in 1988. It has bilingual status and it is one of the three federal regions of Belgium, along with Flanders and Wallonia.
Brussels was in the global spotlight in November 2015, when a series of raids from police searching for Paris bombing suspect Salah Abdeslam forced the city into virtual lockdown.
Brussels as a capital
Despite what its name suggests, the Brussels-Capital Region is not the capital of Belgium in itself. Article 194 of the Belgian Constitution establishes that the capital of Belgium is the City of Brussels, the municipality within the capital region that once was the city's core.
The City of Brussels is the location of many national institutions. The Royal Palace, where the King of Belgium exercises his prerogatives as head of state, is situated alongside the Brussels Park. The Palace of the Nation is located on the opposite side of this park, and is the seat of the Belgian Federal Parliament. The office of the Prime Minister of Belgium, colloquially called Law Street 16 (Dutch: Wetstraat 16, French: 16, rue de la Loi), is located adjacent to this building. This is also the place where the Council of Ministers holds its meetings. The Court of Cassation, Belgian's main court, has its seat in the Palace of Justice. Other important institutions in the City of Brussels are the Constitutional Court, the Council of State, the Court of Audit, the Royal Belgian Mint and the National Bank of Belgium.
The City of Brussels is also the capital of both the French Community of Belgium and the Flemish Community. The Flemish Parliament and Flemish Government have their seats in Brussels, as do the Parliament of the French Community and the Government of the French Community.