Look closely at a recent rebranding by Belgian operator FLYINGGROUP, and you’ll see that a subtle but important shift has taken place. Their previous logo depicted an aircraft flying right to left. The focus was on the past, on heritage and tradition. But now the aircraft flies in the opposite direction. As the company’s Marketing Director Kristiaan Cloots points out: “Our DNA is to be a leader. We want to focus on the future, on innovative technologies, and the needs of new customers.”
To find evidence of the company’s new direction, you need only look to the company’s recently opened headquarters at Antwerp Airport.
The building is fully carbon-neutral thanks to a cooling & heating system that allows heat to be transferred to and from the ground, as well as rainwater tanks and 531 solar panels.
As far as sustainability is concerned, this is just the beginning for FLYINGGROUP.
“Our ambition to reduce our CO2 emissions is not only reflected in our strategic memorandum and our energy-neutral head office. We know that the future will also include hydrogen and electric flying. That is not yet possible, but as soon as these new aircraft are approved for commercial flights, we will be the first Belgian company to add them to our fleet,” says Marketing Director, Kristiaan Cloots. “In the meantime, we continue to innovate step by step in terms of sustainability, both in terms of our fleet and organisation.”
“We want to be a leader in this area. If anything, our environmental initiatives are a way to be prepared also for younger customers, for whom environmental concerns are on the table.”
The company also sees the current pandemic as a way for business aviation to demonstrate its value.
A good example of this is the company’s FlyingBubble concept, which offers customers a door-to-door driver service with electric vehicles from home to their destination. The company has set up a one-point-contact procedure for baggage handling; and monitors their fleet continuously. It means that customers can remain safely in their bubble while saving time.
As Chairman Bernard Van Milders pointed out in a local business publication recently, “COVID19 has just made us more ambitious. This will allow is to attract a new group of consumers: people who want to fly 100% hygienically.”