Ball Corp lands in Amsterdam the week of European capacity expansion

Ball Corp flew from its Westminster, Colorado base at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on May 17, 2026, an overnight hop of eight and a half hours in its Bombardier Global 6000, N400BC.

The same week, the company is digesting its January acquisition of an 80 percent stake in Benepack’s European beverage-can business, which added two manufacturing facilities in Belgium and Hungary, per Ball’s first-quarter earnings report released May 5. CEO Ron Lewis told analysts on the Q1 call that the deal gives the company “ample opportunity to grow volumes” in Europe, where Ball sees 3 to 5 percent annual growth through 2030, as covered by Packaging Dive. Amsterdam, a short flight from both new plants, is a natural logistical hub for overseeing the integration.

The flight follows a busy week of domestic travel: the same Global 6000 visited Chicago, Houston, and Bowling Green, Kentucky between May 11 and 13, likely for customer meetings or plant visits. Ball’s North American capacity is effectively sold out for 2026, per CRU Group, so the European expansion is where the growth runway sits.