The 18th Brussels Airport Aviation Awards Ceremony
It’s a tradition that has existed for nearly 20 years – on the evening of 20 February, the Brussels Airport Aviation Awards once again took centre stage. During this event, held at the airport site, eleven awards – including the prestigious Diamond Award – were presented to airlines and partners that particularly stood out in 2024 for their punctuality and performance, network development, safety and environmental efforts.
Since 2007, Brussels Airport has recognised airlines and partners annually for their exceptional performance. At this latest edition of the Aviation Awards, eleven prizes were awarded.
Punctuality & Safety Awards
The Punctuality & Safety Awards recognise passenger and cargo airlines that excel in terms of punctuality or demonstrate continuous improvement in safety standards and awareness. Punctuality is assessed based on schedule adherence, with arrivals and departures considered on time if they occur within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.
- Short Haul Airline Punctuality Award: Transavia
In 2024, Transavia was recognised as the most punctual airline for short-haul flights. The airline operates up to six daily flights to destinations in Southern Europe. This is the first time that Transavia has won in this category. The airline beat Air Europa, Finnair, Icelandair and KLM.
- Long Haul Airline Punctuality Award: Hainan Airlines
For the second consecutive year, the Punctuality Award for long-haul airlines was awarded to Hainan Airlines. The airline operates two daily flights in total to Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen and previously won this award in 2011 and 2014. The other airlines nominated in this category were Delta Air Lines, Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, and United Airlines.
- Safety Award: Gate Gourmet
Having previously won in 2021, Gate Gourmet has once again taken home the Safety Award. This organisation demonstrates a strong safety culture and backs up its commitments with concrete actions. Incident tracking is precise and swift. It also stands out for its regular reporting of hazardous conditions. With a constant presence on the ground, Gate Gourmet continues to deliver excellent safety results.
Cargo & Logistics Awards
Brussels Airport awards four specific prizes to stakeholders and partners in the cargo sector to recognise innovation, growth and partnership.
- Cargo Airline Performance Award: Qatar Airways Cargo
Already a winner in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023, Qatar Airways Cargo has secured this award for the fifth time, recognising it as the airline that has contributed the most to the development of Brucargo over the past year. The airline maintains a strong commitment to Brussels Airport, leveraging its global network. The other nominees were Air Belgium, Ethiopian Cargo & Logistics Services, LATAM Cargo and Singapore Airlines Cargo.
- BRUcargo Award: dnata
Dnata continues to fully uphold its commitments in terms of quality and stability. It is a leading and well-organised partner, providing reliable ground handling services and operating efficiently, even during peak demand periods. For this reason, dnata has been awarded the BRUcargo Award, recognising it as a strong partner for Brussels Airport. The other nominees in this category were ACIC, Air Cargo Belgium, Belgian Customs and Expeditors.
- Logistic Service Provider Award: DSV
DSV emerged as the winner in this relatively new category for its exceptional logistics performance, innovation and sustainability efforts at Brussels Airport. The company boosts efficiency by occupying an entire building in the new Brucargo Central complex. Additionally, it collaborates with Pharma.Aero and is involved in various pharmaceutical events. The other nominees in this category were Deny Cargo, Expeditors, Hazgo and Nippon Express.
- Cargo Network Development Award: LATAM Cargo
The launch of LATAM Cargo's operations at Brussels Airport in 2024 marks a significant milestone in strengthening the airport's connection with South America and, more broadly, in expanding its global network. Since October 2024, the airline has increased its weekly flights from 4 to 12 rotations. It was therefore only natural to award LATAM Cargo the 2024 Cargo Network Development Award. The other nominated airlines were FarCargo, Qatar Airways Cargo, Lufthansa Cargo and Sichuan Airlines.
Environment Award
The Environment Award is presented to airlines or partners who have made a significant contribution to environmental sustainability.
- Environment Award: skeyes
This year, the award goes to skeyes. Brussels Airport acknowledges skeyes' leadership in organising the Collaborative Environmental Management working group, which brings together multiple partners to promote sustainable aviation.
Over the past two years, under skeyes' presidency, collaborations have focused on
Stargate initiatives aimed at improving the number and quality of Continuous Descent Operations (CDO) flights, as well as the HERON project, focused on preparing and executing demonstration flights with steeper and more innovative approach trajectories (Increased Second Glide Slope).
For many years, skeyes and Brussels Airport have also worked together on the management, maintenance and improvement of the BATC website (batc.be). This platform ensures open and transparent communication with local residents regarding the potential noise impact of air traffic.
Network Development Awards
The Network Development Awards recognise airlines that have launched new routes or experienced significant passenger growth.
- Short Haul Airline Network Development Award: Air Arabia Maroc
In this category, Air Arabia Maroc emerged as the winner, thanks to the launch of new flights to Rabat and Tétouan, and passenger growth of over 20%. The other nominees in this category were Norwegian, Nouvelair, Transavia and Widerøe.
- Long Haul Airline Network Development Award: Singapore Airlines
A newcomer has joined the list of winners in this category. Singapore Airlines won this award for the launch of four weekly flights from Brussels Airport to Singapore. The other airlines nominated in this category were Brussels Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Juneyao Air and Thai Airways International.
Diamond Award
- Diamond Award: Johan Decuyper
The ‘Diamond Award’ is a special category, as it is currently awarded only once every two years. This time around, the award recognises the CEO of a company already honoured during the evening – Johan Decuyper, who has led skeyes since 2013.
Under his leadership, the organisation has undergone a major transformation. One of the most significant milestones was the decision to rebrand the organisation as skeyes, a name that better reflects the ever-evolving and increasingly complex challenges faced by air traffic control. skeyes’ commitment to innovation is evident through various initiatives, including the digital tower project, advancements in drone technology, sustainability efforts, and talent development programmes, all of which demonstrate its forward-thinking approach and dedication to the future of aviation.
Brussels Airport wishes to congratulate all airlines and partners, whether winners or nominees, for their outstanding performances.
