Ostend-Bruges International Airport (commonly: Ostend Airport) is located in Ostend

Ostend

Ostend  is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke , Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the largest on the Belgian coast....

, Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

, near the coast and about 25 km from the city centre of Bruges

Bruges

Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....

. Although an important proportion of the activities focuses on freight transport, it is increasingly used for passenger flights, mainly charter

Charter

A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...

 and holiday flights organised by the tour operators. It is also often used for private business flights.

History

During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 The German occupier moved the airfield of Ostend-Stene to a site in the territory of the municipality of Middelkerke, five kilometres southwest of Ostend. It played a major role in the air battle with Britain. After the Second World War the airport of Raversijde-Middelkerke was turned into an international airport by the Department of Airways which had been established by that time.

In 1992 the regional Flemish airport was transferred to the Flemish Community

Flemish Community

The term Flemish Community has two distinct, though related, meanings:...

On 1 May 2003, Ryanair

Ryanair

Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline. Its head office is at Dublin Airport and its primary operational bases at Dublin Airport and London Stansted Airport....

 started a new route between Ostend and London-Stansted. The airport was given a new name: “Ostend-Bruges International Airport”. However, Ryanair stopped operating the route in December 2003.

On 23 May 2003, Mr. Gino Vanspauwen was appointed CEO/Managing Director of Ostend-Bruges International Airport by the Flemish government. He effectively took up his duties on 1 June 2003.

Airlines and destinations

All airlines only operate charter or cargo flights.

Cargo airlines

Accidents and incidents

• On 21 July 1992, Douglas DC-3C
  Douglas DC-3
  The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
  
   LX-DKT of Legend Air was damaged beyond repair when it was blown into Boeing 707
  Boeing 707
  The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
  
  Z-WKV during a storm. As of 28 July 2010, the aircraft was still at Oostende.