Sarina Wolfs was put in charge of logistics property development at Brussels Airport in May 2023. Increasingly, the aviation company is taking the construction of logistics into its own hands. “As a result, we work more uniformly, but there is more responsibility involved.”
Before starting work at Brussels Airport, Sarina Wolfs was responsible for real estate at NMBS. Before that, she was a lawyer specialising in environmental law. “At NMBS I was at the end of my growth potential after five years. When a headhunter contacted me, my first reaction was: what should I do at an airport? I was surprised, nor did I immediately have a great affinity with or a past in aviation. Some colleagues can perfectly tell which model and from which year a particular aircraft is, but that was not given to me. But I am happy to be part of Brussels Airport Company.”
More capacity and more green
Sarina Wolfs took up the challenge. Since May 2023, as head of Logistics Real Estate, she has been responsible for the real estate portfolio at Brucargo. “This ranges from day-to-day matters – a customer’s gate that no longer closes – to the future vision of Brussels Airport in terms of parking, mobility, buildings and master planning.”
Brucargo is developing at a rapid pace. By 2027, 25% more capacity will be added. The current showpiece is Brucargo Central in which Brussels Airport is investing 70 million euros. There will be three warehouses, together accounting for some 34,000 square metres. “Here we are taking sustainability strongly into account,” she explains. “The environment here is too paved. We want more warehouses, but also more greenery. Our roadmap gives a good picture of where we want to go and which segments we are focusing on, namely pharma, live animals, e-commerce and perishables.”
Developing yourself
Cargo experienced a boom after covid. “Everyone worked from home and ordered everything online. Because Brussels Airport relied too much on the passenger side and that revenue, in its new strategy the airport chose to diversify more, including by investing in cargo and logistics. Today, growth in the sector is less pertinent. We find that customers are now more risk-averse. They are more likely to aim for a 10-year contract instead of a 30-year one.”
An important shift is that Brussels Airport is increasingly taking control of the logistics of the property itself. “We used to give a land concession, a company built on it and after thirty years it came back to us. We noticed that many buildings were built sub-optimally or certain parts of the land were not used. The buildings are not always nicely paralleled either, it is often a mishmash. That is why we are developing more and more ourselves. We also build according to the standards that are acceptable to the licensing authorities.”
The challenge of doing everything ourselves is having sufficient expertise and manpower. “Our team has grown with us,” says Sarina Wolfs. “In the past year, it has doubled from three to six employees. The qualitative expertise is in place and the team is working its way up.”
Another growing pains is the performance pressure. “That now lies entirely with us. More buildings in portfolio also means more maintenance costs. Finally, the responsibility is also greater.”
Weekend break
Sarina Wolfs tries to take good care of her work-life balance. I mainly do things whose planning is in my own hands. If you have to hit the spinning class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, it won’t work out. The fun is off if you’re already pushing yourself in the morning. That’s why I often sit at home on the cross trainer or do yoga at times when I have time.”
She also loves nature. “I live in Limburg, in beautiful Haspengouw. I only have to go out the door to take beautiful walks. In addition, I often go out on weekends. I explore nature, go to a museum or catch a concert. That relaxes me.”
