Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders located in the northwest in the Flemish Region of Belgium. The city has a significant economic importance. The Zwin channel, starting around 1500 gave the city its prosperity. The first fortifications were built in the first century BC after Julius Caesar’s conquest of the Menapii. It was built to protect the coastal area against pirates. The entire region was taken over by the Franks from the Gallo-Romans around the 4th century. The city greatly expanded in the 1970s and early 1980s. In the recent few years, International tourism has boomed. The city is served by the national Brussels Airport, one hour away by train or car. The Ostend-Bruges International Airport in Ostend is just around 25 km from the city centre of Bruges. The airports offer scheduled flights to Bruges from different destinations.
The Brussels Airportis is also an international airport that offers both scheduled and charter flights to Bruges. The airlines and Bruges flights serves by the airport are Adria Airways, Aer Lingus, Air Malta, American Airlines, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Bulgaria Air, Czech Airlines, Estonian Air, Iberia Airlines, Jat Airways, Jetairfly, KLM, Swiss International Air Lines, US Airways, XL Airways France and many more. Ostend-Bruges International Airport is increasingly used for holiday Bruges flights organised by the tour operators. The airport is used for private business flights as well.