Looking for balance

The 1980s got off to a promising start, politics finally turned pro and new aviation-related companies settled at the airport. 75 years of aviation in Antwerp was appropriately celebrated in 1984: a flying parade above the Scheldt and a grand exhibition in the Campo showroom. Services were set up to Paris, Frankfurt, Manchester,.... but just as quickly cancelled and in 1989 DAT considers moving to Brussels.

In the 1980s, the REFORGER exercises (REturn the FORces to GERmany) caused quite a few movements in Antwerp every year. New companies such as Transmarcom-Air and Stradavia established themselves at the airport. But at the local level, politicians continued to stir up unrest. For example, in 1983 it was proposed to close the airport during the weekend because there were no commercial flights. Fortunately, Herman de Croo stood up for the recreational flights and the proposal was classified.

All Antwerp-based associations (Lions Club, Jeugd en Luchtvaart, Royal Antwerp Aviation Club, Aviation Society of Antwerp) joined forces in 1984 and organised a much appreciated flying parade over the Scheldt (a flying meeting at the airport was not allowed): more than 170,000 spectators crowded the Scheldt quays.

In 1985, the Dutch air traffic controllers went on strike and we had to deal with a lot of diversions, including the BAe.146, the first 4-engine jet aircraft at Antwerp. Airlines came and went: Connectair (Gatwick), Holiday Express (Hamburg) and Hawa Air. Sabena's Boeing 737 was replaced by a Fokker F-28 after 12 years. In 1988, we organized the arrival of the “Tour de France Aérien des Jeunes Pilotes”, good for a hundred visiting aircraft. Rumors that Sabena wanted to cancel the London line caused a stir and were dismissed by Sabena as nonsense. They even suggested that BAe.146 would be flown soon... but we are still waiting for that. In this decade it was also an annual custom to organise a day of flying for disabled youth.