Antwerp Airport at a Crossroads After TUI’s Departure
Antwerp Airport (Deurne) faces an existential crisis after TUI Fly announced it will cease all flights from the regional hub by spring 2027, removing the last major commercial airline from its operations. The decision has ignited a fierce debate in Belgium over whether the airport should be closed, repurposed, or reinvented as a hub for business aviation and future electric aircraft.
According to VRT NWS, TUI’s departure strips the airport of its primary source of commercial revenue. The airport receives approximately €5 million annually in Flemish subsidies and generates another €5 million in own revenue — half of which came directly from TUI flights. The last flights are scheduled for March 24, 2027 (Alicante) and March 25, 2027 (Malaga), after which TUI will concentrate its Belgian operations at Brussels Airport and Ostend Airport.
The Numbers Behind the Crisis
TUI’s exit leaves a stark financial picture. The airport carries approximately €10 million in debt, and its runway is too short for larger aircraft like Boeing 737s, limiting operations to smaller Embraer jets. Beyond TUI, only SkyAlps offers regular flights (to Bolzano, Italy), while the majority of remaining traffic consists of private jets and flight training operations.
Approximately 1,300 people have direct or indirect jobs through activities at and around Antwerp Airport, as aviation journalist Luk De Wilde noted in the VRT analysis. The Flemish government’s three regional airports (Antwerp, Ostend, Kortrijk) together received €13 million in operating subsidies in 2024, and a 2022 cost-benefit analysis reportedly concluded that closing Antwerp and Kortrijk would be the optimal scenario.
The Closure Argument
Opponents of the airport see TUI’s departure as definitive proof that the facility has no viable future. Piet De Roeck of the Vliegerplein action committee told VRT NWS that “not a single commercial airline is interested” and called for the airport to be closed and turned into a park, arguing that “heatwaves and climate warming make clear what citizens really need.”
Opposition parties have seized the moment. Bogdan Vanden Berghe of Groen questioned why Flemish taxpayers should continue subsidizing “an airport with training flights and private jets for rich people in a densely populated area.” Meanwhile, PVDA leader Jos D’Haese announced he would submit an amendment to cut subsidies, calling it “absurd” to keep pumping tax money into what he described as “private jets of the happy few heading to Nice or Cannes.”
Even within the governing coalition, skepticism is growing. Het Laatste Nieuws reported that CD&V parliamentarian Mien Van Olmen described TUI’s departure as “another signal that something is fundamentally wrong at Deurne,” while Vooruit’s Kris Verduyckt said the airport is “economically not viable even with Flemish subsidies.”
The Restart Vision
Proponents of keeping the airport open argue that a strategic pivot is still possible. Aviation economist Wouter Dewulf of the University of Antwerp and Antwerp Management School advocates transforming the airport into a dedicated business aviation hub, cutting costs on the terminal, fire brigade, and passenger screening. The long-term prize, he argues, is electric aviation.
“We expect the arrival of new electric aircraft that can fly 500 kilometers,” Dewulf told VRT NWS. “That will be the future of regional aviation that we cannot miss.” He also noted that €5 million in annual subsidies is modest within the overall Flemish budget and that once an airport is closed, the land is lost forever.
The Egis Contract Problem
A critical structural issue complicates any decision. French company Egis operates Antwerp Airport under a concession running until 2039. According to aviation expert Luk De Wilde, breaking the contract would reportedly cost more than continuing subsidies, creating a perverse incentive to keep the airport open regardless of commercial viability.
“Egis likes receiving subsidies but does not excel at attracting new players,” De Wilde told VRT NWS. “They’ve been saying for years that they’re working on it, but the results don’t follow.”
Political Fallout and What’s Next
The TUI departure puts the Flemish coalition government — consisting of N-VA, CD&V, and Vooruit — under severe strain. Mobility Minister Annick De Ridder (N-VA) has consistently opposed closure, citing the coalition agreement, which does not call for shutting regional airports. However, the PVDA’s planned amendment to cut subsidies will force a parliamentary vote that could expose coalition divisions.
The Flemish government recently became the largest shareholder in Brussels Airport, raising questions about subsidizing a competitor. In June 2026, the government announced plans to reduce subsidies and make regional airports more self-sufficient.
As the debate unfolds, the key questions remain: Can Antwerp Airport attract new commercial airlines before TUI’s final departure? Will the Egis contract lock the government into continued subsidies until 2039? And is electric aviation a realistic prospect for Antwerp by the 2030s, or a costly gamble? The answers will determine not only the fate of 1,300 jobs but also the future of regional aviation policy in Flanders.