Corendon, a Turkish airline which mainly operates from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, has expressed its desire to create a high-speed train connection between Brussels and Schiphol airports. Since the introduction of the boarding tax in Belgium two years ago, meant to deter people from taking short-haul flights when an alternative is available, the need for such a high-speed connection has become clear. A feasibility study is already underway, but in the meantime, Corendon’s founder, Atilay Uslu, has plans to roll out a Corendon train himself.
With short-haul flights being more and more restricted, developing a high-speed train connection between airports such as Brussels Airport, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport has been a project that has been under consideration for quite a while now. However, as such international development plans take time, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a private company has now expressed their willingness to develop such a connection between Brussels and Schiphol airports. The goal? For people to start their holiday on the train. Corendon specifically wants to target tourists travelling from Brussels to Curaçao.
We want to be able to bring travellers from Belgium to Schiphol for our flights from Amsterdam to Curaçao […] The goal is for the vacation to start on the train.
Atilay Uslu explains in an interview with the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf
With that goal in mind, the whole train would be Corendon-themed. Not only would the vehicle carry the yellow and red colours of the company, but there would also be a carriage on board where travellers could enjoy a cocktail in order to start their vacation on the right foot. If the service proves to be successful, Uslu has already started thinking about a Düsseldorf connection as well. However, so far, there are no clear plans just yet, and specifics are yet to be determined if the connection will become a reality.
Uslu’s plans come shortly after the publication of a pamphlet from the airline industry asking for more short-haul international trains in order to compensate for the constraints on short-haul flights. Multiple organisations, companies, and universities, including Corendon, signed that pamphlet. At that time, Corendon’s CEO and former Dutch Secretary of State for Culture (and Atilay Uslu’s sister), Gunay Uslu, asked the government for help on the matter. “It is essential to achieve the sustainable ambitions of our sector,” she underlined.
