On April 19th Brussels Airport is showcasing its new triple boarding bridge at Pier B. The new boarding bridge which is designed to be efficient, passenger-friendly and unique in Europe will be put to the test with the arrival of an Emirates A380.
Brussels Airport is investing over 52 million euros to equip its Pier B with new boarding bridges and offer greater comfort to passengers. The 24 boarding and deboarding bridges at Pier B date from 1992 and will gradually be replaced by state-of-the-art aerobridges to meet the general trend of larger aircraft.
Two thirds of the new aerobridges will be dual boarding bridges, which will speed up the boarding and deboarding process while offering greater comfort to passengers and enhanced operational efficiency for airlines.
As part of the modernisation the airport is also installing two triple boarding bridges. These will enable Brussels Airport to meet future demands from the airlines to operate the Airbus A380. In the meantime, the bridges can be used as a double boarding bridge to accommodate large aircraft such as the Airbus A330 and A350 and the Boeing 777 and 787.
The first triple boarding bridge will be put to the test with the arrival of the world’s largest commercial aircraft, the double-decker A380.
The Emirates A380 which will be the first airplane to connect to the new boarding bridge, offers a total of 516 seats – with 14 private suites in First Class, 76 flatbed seats in Business Class seats and 426 spacious seats in Economy Class.
Once airborne and at cruising altitude, passengers in the First Class cabin can enjoy one of two on-board Shower Spas before joining fellow premium class travellers in the On Board Lounge where they can socialise and enjoy complimentary beverages, canapés and other special delicacies.
During the flight passengers in all classes can enjoy Wi-Fi to stay in touch with family and friends and Emirates’ award-winning entertainment system, which offers more than 3,000 channels of movies, TV shows, games and music.
Emirates is currently connecting the heart of Europe to the business hub of the Middle East twice daily with a Boeing 777-300ER. The Emirates Boeing 777 features six fully enclosed luxurious private suites offering up to 40 square feet of thoughtfully designed privacy.
Laid out in a 1-1-1 configuration, each of the suites offers a window view – the suites in the middle of the cabin feature a virtual window which projects the view from outside the aircraft, using real time camera technology.
Inside the suite the 78 inches long and up to 30 inches wide, electrically-operated seat reclines from an upright position to a fully flat bed and converts to a “zero gravity” seat setting inspired by NASA technology.
Customers can completely adjust the suite to their personal preferences thanks to 10 ambient mood lighting settings with 7 different colour schemes and individual temperature control.
The suite also features a personal mini bar with refreshing snacks and drinks and a video call feature which allows customers to order room service from the comfort of their seat.
The entire Emirates 777 aircraft features a fresh interior with a light and modern colour scheme, classy textured panels and an artistic motif representing the Ghaf tree throughout the aircraft. The Ghaf is considered the national tree of the United Arab Emirates and has deep cultural and ecological significance.
The design and shape of Emirates’ Business Class seat has a diamond stitch pattern on the full leather cover and an ergonomically designed headrest giving the elite seat a sleek look and feel.
The seat has a pitch of 72 inches and moves into a fully-flat sleeping position. It also has touchscreen controls for the seat and inflight entertainment system, several personal lighting options, privacy panels between seats, a shoe stowage area, footrest and a personal mini-bar.
The Economy Class cabin features a colour palette of soft greys and blues. The ergonomically designed seats come with full leather headrests that have flexible side panels and can also be adjusted vertically for optimum support.
All cabin classes are equipped with a new generation of Emirates’ award-winning ice inflight entertainment system offering improved and superior image quality. Each in-seat screen features ultra-wide viewing angles, a capacitive touch screen, LED backlight and full HD display.