Placement of the first pillars of the new Safran Aircraft Engine Services site at Brussels Airport - A unique, positive energy building

On February 28, at the north zone of Brussels Airport, a first pillar ceremony was held for the building that will accommodate the new aircraft engine maintenance site of Safran Aircraft Engine Services Brussels as of 2024. Thanks to this prime location, the engine manufacturer, already very active at Brussels Airport, will be able to develop its new activities for the latest generation engines. With this positive energy building that will produce more energy than it consumes, Brussels Airport once again demonstrates its ambition to offer its customers the most complete range of aviation services, as well as its expertise in the real estate field and confirms its commitment to sustainable development. 

The logistics area of Brussels Airport is in full redevelopment. The northern part of the site will soon be home exclusively to companies in charge of aeronautical maintenance operations. On 28 February, a first pillar ceremony was held for the ultra-modern building that will accommodate Safran Aircraft Engine Services Brussels (SAESB) as of next year. Safran Aircraft Engine Services Brussels is a subsidiary of Safran Aircraft Engines, a world-leading engine manufacturer for civil and military aircraft, which has been operating in the Brussels Airport area for 24 years. The company was looking for a new location to develop and modernise its global maintenance network for the latest generation of LEAP-1A and LEAP 1B engines powering the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX families, respectively.  As part of the ramp-up of its MRO activities, Safran Aircraft Engine Services Brussels aims to recruit more than 80 people over the next two years.    

‘The erection of these first pillars is an important moment in our more than 20-year partnership with Safran Aircraft Engines’, explains Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport. ‘It highlights not only the development of Safran Aircraft Engines’ activities in Belgium, and more particularly at Brussels Airport, but also the strengthening of the aeronautical services offer on the site as well as the sustainable development of our real estate activities since this new building will produce more energy than it will consume, thanks to new technologies.’ 

This new site will occupy a total area of 8,500 m² (offices and industrial areas). It will benefit from the highest standards in terms of maintenance and energy. The systematic use of the most efficient techniques, whether for insulation or heating with heat pumps, but also in terms of infiltration through the use of grass pavers for the car park and  the reuse of rainwater for sanitary facilities, contributes to its energy efficiency. Not to mention the many solar panels and smart skylights on the roof.  

In addition, the environment will be well equipped to facilitate soft and public mobility with bike infrastructure, a bus stop in front of the building with direct bus services to and from the Brussels Airport passenger terminal and surrounding municipalities every 5 to 10 minutes. With this new construction, Brussels Airport is once again demonstrating its commitment to a highly sustainable future. 

‘We are very delighted with this important milestone, which allows us to anchor a site of excellence in Belgium for our LEAP engine after-sales activities’, says Nicolas Potier, Director of the Support & Services division of Safran Aircraft Engines. ‘The erection of this new building will meet a twofold objective: developing and modernising our global maintenance network to support the growth of the LEAP fleet worldwide and reduce the carbon footprint of our operations and infrastructure, as part of Safran’s low-carbon strategy.’  

Construction work is expected to be completed in early 2024 and the site is expected to be fully operational in the first quarter of 2024.