Deurne Airport received more passengers in 2025 and rises above the red figures: “2026 will be the year of truth”

Professor Wouter Dewulf: “The year of truth”

“The turnaround after the poor management by the ‘French babysitter’ (owner Egis, ed.) has finally started,” says Wouter Dewulf, professor at the University of Antwerp who has been following the file for years. According to him, the focus on cost control and diversification was much needed, as was retaining the private jet and pilot training segment. “The French-speaking former CEO Eric Dumas mainly kept things moving in Deurne.”

Regional mobility

“Strategically the line is now right,” the professor continues. “In the long term, we must focus on diversification and regional mobility. That is to say: electric flying over distances of up to approximately 500 kilometers with aircraft of 20 to 30 passengers. That is exactly the kind of future-oriented positioning that suits Antwerp Airport.”

Yet Dewulf does not want to claim victory too quickly. Travel organization TUI, which accounts for approximately two-thirds of company income, would phase out its activities in Deurne this year. “This year there is only one TUI device instead of two in Deurne,” says Dewulf. “You then have a gap of more than a million euros, which you cannot simply close.”

A final problem is the dispute between the airport and the Flemish government. A settlement is urgently needed for this. In concrete terms, this concerns the extension of the subsidy agreement. Whether or not overdue corona support is owed is also still a point of discussion. According to European rules, Flanders may bear the costs of, for example, fire safety, but not of other security tasks.

Negotiations about all of this are currently taking place behind the scenes, although this was also said a year ago. “The problems have not yet been solved,” Dewulf concludes. “There are still open claims of 3 million euros on the balance sheet. The strong results naturally give confidence, but a continued focus on cost control and a targeted increase in landing rights for the business aviation segment (private jets, ed.) remain necessary to maintain this momentum.”