The city of Ieper and Toran, a helicopter flight company based in Wevelgem (West Flanders), are teaming up to offer flights over the Great War battlefields. Passengers fly over cemeteries and old bomb craters, as well as the Menin Gate. Enthusiasts who prefer to land for a picnic during the day, can do so.
Battlefield tourists have a new exciting option to explore the battlefields of the Great War in Flanders. Instead of by bus, they can now do so by helicopter. The trips are organised by helicopter company Toran that flies from Wevelgem airfield. ‘It was American tourists requesting such flights that gave people the idea,’ says business manager Matthias Decleer. ‘For many Americans, a helicopter flight is much less exotic than for us and it is indeed a great way to explore the battlefields. From the air, you get a very different view of the bomb craters and war cemeteries.’
The flights depart from Wevelgem airfield. Passengers decide for themselves which sites they would like to see. The starting price, for a 30-minute flight with three people, is 475 euros. Enthusiasts who want to take a one-hour trip pay just under 850 euros. ‘That's quite a lot of money,’ they realise at Toran, ’although it's still quite reasonable for a helicopter flight. It's not that only the super-rich can afford such a trip. Even enthusiasts on an ordinary income who are passionate about history and the Great War can consider booking a flight and fulfilling a childhood dream.’
City of Ieper to help promote flights
‘The new offer absolutely provides added value,’ says alderman for tourism Diego Desmadryl. ‘It offers a chance to visit our beautiful region in a completely different way. Hence we also want to actively promote it.’
In addition to this new attraction, which will probably attract additional tourists, Ieper receives a series of flights, which it can hand out for free, through competitions and the like. 3 of the flights are prizes in a raffle for subscribers to the Ieper tourism newsletter .