Brussels Airport BRU plays a very important part, as the city of Brussels is Europe's Capital (the European Union, NATO, and many other European organizations and corporations are headquartered there), and should not be mistaken for another airport advertised by low-cost airlines as 'Brussels South Airport’ - which in fact is in Charleroi, 40 km from Brussels.

The Airport is located in part in Zaventem and in part in the Diegem area of Machelen, and is 11 km from the historic City of Brussels, Belgium. It is accessible via motorway A201, connecting directly to the R0 highway, and from there to all other main highways. The railway under the passenger terminal offers up to 4 hourly express trains to Brussel's North, Central & Midi stations. Also, an underground rail link between the Airport's rail station and the new rail line Schaarbeek - Mechelen at  motorway E19 is to be operational by 2012, whereupon there will be a non-stop service from the Antwerp - Mechelen region to the Airport.

With three long runways and an estimated 18.8 million passengers in 2011, Brussels Airport is hub to Brussels Airlines, Jet Airways and others, and is served by numerous major and minor international airlines and charters offering direct and connecting flights to all points of the globe.

 
The on-Airport Sheraton Brussels Airport Hotel (tel. +32 2 710 8000 /fax 8080) with a business & conference center, is located across from the passenger terminal.

The Brussels Airport passenger terminal is a huge building with four levels and two 'Piers' - Concourses A and B. (For detailed terminal information, click on 'Terminal Map'.) 

Parking options at Brussels Airport: (For detailed parking information, click on 'Airport Parking'.)

To get from Brussels Airport to your destination, you can rent a car from 6 major rental car agencies), take a taxi, a train or a bus:  Taxi stands are in front of the Arrivals hall; the fare to the city is about 35 EU. Limo service is available by contacting Edward Ghebreal at +32 2 772 0000.

A: By Train: At basement level 1 is the train station providing 4 trips per hr to Brussels North, Central & Midi stations.  Direct train services are also available to other cities in Belgium (visit: (www) b-rail.be/main/E/. 
NOTE:  The underground rail link between the Airport's rail station and the new rail line Schaarbeek - Mechelen at  motorway E19 is to start service in 2012.

B. By Bus: Three bus station are on level 0 (use elevators/escalators from the Arrivals Hall):
1. De Lijn buses (+32 70 2202 00) running via Brucargo depart from platform B; all other De Lijn buses depart from platform A.
2. MIVB/STIB public buses (+32 70 23 2000) at Platform C - Bus line 12 (Mon-Fri) and Bus line 21 (weekend/holidays)  make frequent runs to 'European Quarter' near the uptown shops. Tickets are available at the Platform C vending machine 'GO'.
3. The Brussels Airport to to Antwerp Express Bus operated by DeDecker (+32 52 33 4000) is an hourly service; buses depart from the back of platform B. Note that 'De Keyserlei' stop near the central station is a schedule stop, while 'Crowne Plaza' stop has to be requested.  The trip takes 45 minutes and costs 10 EU, tickets available from driver.

Future Airport Developments: Aside from the opening of the new express rail connection Antwerp-Mechelen to the Airport in 2012, Brussels Airport has a five-year development plan into 2016 which includes:
1. An extension to Pier A - Pier West - housing additional gates with direct boarding.
2. Replacing existing escalators, lifts & tunnel with an above-ground 'Connector' between the main terminal, Pier A & Pier A West.
3. Low-cost & regular airlines are being integrated into the terminal, rather than building a separate terminal. 
4. Transforming the former administrative building into a high-tech 'Gateway Business Center'.