Around 45,000 people attended the Belgian Air Force Days event on Saturday and Sunday. This biannual event in Florennes is organised by the Defence department. There is an exhibition of modern and historical airplanes, and a spectacular airshow.
There were around 20,000 visitors on Saturday, and 25,000 on Sunday. On Saturday, the organisers and local authorities decided only those who already had tickets would be allowed in on Sunday, but some visitors without tickets were still able to get in. “People coming from Bruges or elsewhere made the trip without being aware of that decision. We couldn’t turn them away. Visitors were disappointed by the long queues to get into the site on Saturday, but understood the security measures once they got inside. Things moved more smoothly on Sunday, as we opened the doors earlier in the day”, the press centre explained.
Among the highlights of the weekend mentioned by the organisers was the presence of 5 successors to the F-16, and over 100 historic and modern airplanes. Another highlight was the celebration for the 70th anniversary of Force Aérienne Belge. There was also a commemoration for the F-16, which has been doing expeditionary operations for 20 years. All this was in addition to the 75th anniversary of the 350th squadron. To celebrate this, the Defence department published an illustrated book retracing the history and current operational capacities of Belgian military aviation.
(Source: Belga)
