; before 19 October 2006, the name was BIAC (Brussels International Airport Company), which was created by Belgian law through a merger of BATC with the ground operations departments of the RLW/RVA.

[6] The origins of Brussels Airport at Zaventem date back to 1940, when the German occupying force claimed 600 ha (1,500 acres) of agricultural fields reserved as a back-up airfield ("Steenokkerzeel").

There is an urban legend that the site of the airport was chosen by the Germans after asking locals where to build it–the Belgians then pointed to this location as it was often foggy.

[citation needed] After the liberation on 3 September 1944, the German infrastructure at Melsbroek fell into the hands of the British.

[citation needed] In 1955, a railway line from Brussels city centre to the airport was constructed.

In April 1957, construction started of the new terminal, preparing the airport for the 1958 World's Fair (Expo 58).

Both Zaventem Airport and Melsbroek Air Base, the military airfield, share the same runways.

[9] Sabena's demise meant a sharp fall in passenger traffic, a blow from which the airport only slowly recovered.

The airport's future is threatened by disagreement between the governments of Flanders and the Brussels Capital Region concerning night-time air traffic routes.

One of the (unofficial) reasons was the delay in the construction of the low-cost terminal and the possible lawsuit by 52 airlines active at Brussels Airport, on the grounds of tax discrimination.

The airport was closed after the attacks until 3 April, when it reopened with temporary facilities at less than 20% of its previous passenger capacity.

[14] Brussels Airport uses a one terminal concept, meaning that all the facilities are located under a single roof.

In the opposite direction, the building provides arriving passengers with a smooth and convenient passage to the baggage reclaim hall and the exit.

Furthermore, border control has been relocated behind the 25-lane screening platform (Europe's largest) inside the Connector which means that changing planes no longer requires a security check.

Pier A West was due to open in 2016, but because of the slow passenger growth, Brussels Airport announced in July 2013 that the works would be delayed.

At present, several low-cost airlines including Ryanair and Wizz Air fly to Brussels-South Charleroi Airport, 40 km (25 mi) away from Brussels.

[18] In autumn 2013, low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines announced it would end its flights between Brussels Airport and Turkey.

However, Turkish Airlines announced on 26 November 2013 it would offer one daily flight on the same route, starting one month after Pegasus terminated its operations at the airport.

Brussels Airlines has its corporate head office in the b.house, Airport Building 26, located in Diegem, Machelen.

[30] SN Brussels, which formed in 2002, had its head office in Airport Building 117 in Zaventem when it existed.

The train station has direct services to Antwerp, Brussels, De Panne, Ghent, Hasselt, Landen, Leuven, Mechelen, Nivelles and Quévy.

At least four trains per hour serve the most used link to Brussels South Railway Station, where international connections are offered by Eurostar (to Amsterdam, Avignon, Cologne, Essen, Lille, London, Marseille, Paris and Valence), ICE (to Cologne and Frankfurt), and Eurocity (to Basel, Bern, Chur, Luxembourg and Zürich).

A direct link with Antwerp and Mechelen via the so-called Diabolo line was opened for public service on 10 June 2012.

It has been decided that all rail passengers to the Brussels Airport-Zaventem railway station pay a "Diabolo supplement" to finance the ongoing and planned work.

As of December 2014, a direct train link between Bruges and the Airport will be offered,[203] just as an Intercity service to Schiphol and Amsterdam.

[209] In an attempt to alleviate gridlock around Brussels, the Flemish regional transport company De Lijn started the Brabantnet project, which was then scheduled to be finished by 2020.

[210] Three new light rail lines will be created, of which 2 will terminate at Brussels Airport: To speed up the process, testing started in August 2016 with a Trambus, a Bus rapid transit system developed by Belgian bus builder Van Hool, which requires less investment than a tram.

[215] The present trams' tracks end at the Eurocontrol headquarters, but the extension will lead from the Bourget roundabout along the A12 into the Airport.

[219] This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency Media related to Brussels Airport at Wikimedia Commons