Brussels Airlines in 2025

[nordikcam]

The chaotic situation on SN's long-haul flights seems to be lasting, and is forcing us to improvise on a daily basis, notably due to SFD's unavailability, which is getting longer by the day. What's the technical problem? It's also surprising to send two aircraft to Manila for the C-check at the same time if we have no back-up. SFG has been in Manila for a very long time! Overall, we can't say that the reliability of SN's current A330s is top-notch! Could someone in the know give us an update on the situation and outlook? Thanks.

From a "passenger" point of view it's not only chaotic, it's simply unimaginable booking a long-haul flight on SN...and that's a shame. Good luck !

[JOVAN2]

The chaotic situation on SN's long-haul flights seems to be lasting, and is forcing us to improvise on a daily basis, notably due to SFD's unavailability, which is getting longer by the day. What's the technical problem? It's also surprising to send two aircraft to Manila for the C-check at the same time if we have no back-up. SFG has been in Manila for a very long time! Overall, we can't say that the reliability of SN's current A330s is top-notch! Could someone in the know give us an update on the situation and outlook? Thanks.

From a "passenger" point of view it's not only chaotic, it's simply unimaginable booking a long-haul flight on SN...and that's a shame. Good luck !

Many people on this forum seem to work in the SN or BRU bubble. Happy with small improvements, new destination to holiday island, new second hand planes, new uniforms, new garage for personel, etc.
From the "bubble of the passengers"… the view is dofferent. Cancellations on daily base, chaotic '70 style airport, so-so service of airport and airline people... The judgment is not positive. It is very average and with the lack of new project or real improvements, we (Pax) cannot be proud or happy.
Both SN and BRU are still playing in the league of SNCB NMBS or the line. Delays, cancellations , elevators etc not working..... And no improvement to be expected.

[Lux_avi]

It's always ok to criticize (and yes, there is material to criticize).

But, what are your suggestions to improve things without getting SN bankrupt in 12 months?

[lumumba]

It's always ok to criticize (and yes, there is material to criticize).

But, what are your suggestions to improve things without getting SN bankrupt in 12 months?

Easy stop canceling flights!!!
Or make a lighter timetable.

[rwandan-flyer]

Marking 100 years for aviation in Africa and cancel the flight to Kinshasa...is a little bit sad !

There is not Air France flight to Kinsahsa since 14FEB25!!! No flight AF tooday and the flight for tomorrow are canceled !!! They have canceled flights without giving reasons.


AF have closed 7 routes in Africa in less 5 years !!! Banjul, Acrra, Monrovia, Dar Es Salaam, Freetown, Port Harcourt, Seychelles.

British Airways has closed 7 routes in Africa since 2015 : Entebbe, Lusaka, Dar Es Salaam, Monrovia, Freetown, Luanda, Seychelles,

Of course Brussels Airlines is not perfect and has its own pb but please some biggest airlines don't do better in Africa than SN. Believe me

[lumumba]

Marking 100 years for aviation in Africa and cancel the flight to Kinshasa...is a little bit sad !

There is not Air France flight to Kinsahsa since 14FEB25!!! No flight AF tooday and the flight for tomorrow are canceled !!! They have canceled flights without giving reasons.


AF have closed 7 routes in Africa in less 5 years !!! Banjul, Acrra, Monrovia, Dar Es Salaam, Freetown, Port Harcourt, Seychelles.

British Airways has closed 7 routes in Africa since 2015 : Entebbe, Lusaka, Dar Es Salaam, Monrovia, Freetown, Luanda, Seychelles,

Of course Brussels Airlines is not perfect and has its own pb but please some biggest airlines don't do better in Africa than SN. Believe me

It is not true Air France flew yesterday.

[rwandan-flyer]

Yep in deed mistake from me. However flights for 17 and 18 are canceled.

The airline Air France has suspended its stopovers in Kinshasa, according to information reported by RFI. However, its flight to Brazzaville remains maintained. For the moment, no official reason has been put forward to explain this temporary suspension of flights to the Congolese capital, leaving many questions.

https://monjournal-co.translate.goog/su ... r_pto=wapp

[Lux_avi]

It's always ok to criticize (and yes, there is material to criticize).

But, what are your suggestions to improve things without getting SN bankrupt in 12 months?

Easy stop canceling flights!!!
Or make a lighter timetable.

They need such a timetable to be profitable. When will you get it?

[lumumba]

Yep in deed mistake from me. However flights for 17 and 18 are canceled.

The airline Air France has suspended its stopovers in Kinshasa, according to information reported by RFI. However, its flight to Brazzaville remains maintained. For the moment, no official reason has been put forward to explain this temporary suspension of flights to the Congolese capital, leaving many questions.

https://monjournal-co.translate.goog/su ... r_pto=wapp

I see it's a political I imagine.

[lumumba]

It's always ok to criticize (and yes, there is material to criticize).

But, what are your suggestions to improve things without getting SN bankrupt in 12 months?

Easy stop canceling flights!!!
Or make a lighter timetable.

They need such a timetable to be profitable. When will you get it?

I understand but the way it works today is not a solution either.

[JOVAN2]

Marking 100 years for aviation in Africa and cancel the flight to Kinshasa...is a little bit sad !

There is not Air France flight to Kinsahsa since 14FEB25!!! No flight AF tooday and the flight for tomorrow are canceled !!! They have canceled flights without giving reasons.


AF have closed 7 routes in Africa in less 5 years !!! Banjul, Acrra, Monrovia, Dar Es Salaam, Freetown, Port Harcourt, Seychelles.

British Airways has closed 7 routes in Africa since 2015 : Entebbe, Lusaka, Dar Es Salaam, Monrovia, Freetown, Luanda, Seychelles,

Of course Brussels Airlines is not perfect and has its own pb but please some biggest airlines don't do better in Africa than SN. Believe me

It is not true Air France flew yesterday.

AF also restarts Niamey, Bamako ...

[JOVAN2]

It's always ok to criticize (and yes, there is material to criticize).

But, what are your suggestions to improve things without getting SN bankrupt in 12 months?

Easy stop canceling flights!!!
Or make a lighter timetable.

They need such a timetable to be profitable. When will you get it?

PAX do not like continuous cancellations certainly when it is for technical reasons.
Flying second hand means no ambition. Or is there a problem with the competence level of
Mechanics and Engineers at SN ?
Or is it simply chaos created by LH group management ???

[nordikcam]

There is not Air France flight to Kinsahsa since 14FEB25!!! No flight AF tooday and the flight for tomorrow are canceled !!! They have canceled flights without giving reasons.


AF have closed 7 routes in Africa in less 5 years !!! Banjul, Acrra, Monrovia, Dar Es Salaam, Freetown, Port Harcourt, Seychelles.

British Airways has closed 7 routes in Africa since 2015 : Entebbe, Lusaka, Dar Es Salaam, Monrovia, Freetown, Luanda, Seychelles,

Of course Brussels Airlines is not perfect and has its own pb but please some biggest airlines don't do better in Africa than SN. Believe me

It is not true Air France flew yesterday.

AF also restarts Niamey, Bamako ...

But right now AF does not fly Bamako / Niamey...Maybe july !

[JOVAN2]

And AF also to Ouagadougou from July.
Aeroroutes

[longwings]

But, what are your suggestions to improve things without getting SN bankrupt in 12 months?

Ideally, Lufty to sell to IAG.
Lufthansa's investment strategy has been inadequate to date. Blame it on typical German management philosophy. Invest cautiously and carefully until profits arrive. Brussels needed, and still needs, a strategic or turnaround investor, willing to invest a significant amount and accept that profits are not going to be delivered overnight. Lufthansa will never be that.
IAG has a better track record, and needs an airline positioned exactly where Brussels is.

More realistically, if cancellations are as widespread as reported (and that is a big if), they should make cuts into the schedule while they investigate root causes of the frequent cancellations. Fleet age is likely a factor, but it isn't the answer to all their problems. Age isn't that significant for a well-maintained aircraft. Maybe they have a hangar queen.

I am aware I argued only a few months ago a hot spare for a fleet this small is absolutely unjustifiable (and it is!). Still, if it is true Brussels deals with a couple of cancellations a week every week in its long-haul network, a short-term drastic measure is needed.

From the "bubble of the passengers"… the view is dofferent. Cancellations on daily base, chaotic '70 style airport, so-so service of airport and airline people... The judgment is not positive.

Can't believe I actually find myself in a position to defend both but....
Even if the long-haul situation is as bad as this board makes it to be, most passengers fly only on the European network where Brussels' on-time rate is actually better than airlines around it (Air France, BA,...).
As for the airport itself, car rental and bus loading areas are absolutely a disgrace, that I'd agree with. Passenger drop-off and pickup is bad, but not 70s bad... At some point, airport authorities and/or the government are going to have to accept you can't live in fear of terrorism forever.
If you connect through Brussels and don't leave the airport, it's not bad at all, even.

From a "passenger" point of view it's not only chaotic, it's simply unimaginable booking a long-haul flight on SN...and that's a shame. Good luck !

If that perception exists and spreads, Brussels is in trouble. It is hard to shake off.

Easy stop canceling flights!!!

Well, now that you asked with the right number of !s, I am sure they will listen and stop canceling flights immediately. May I suggest you ensure your life insurance premium is paid up though?

[oldblueeyes]

Ideally, Lufty to sell to IAG.

So, why should they do that? No reason to cease market share without any reason.

If long haul is a problem, than the solution may be to transfer it to FCO or LID/MAD, if an additional acquisition goes trough. As any of these brands would develop, the routes may get A339 or B789 operations which these brands already have.
ITA may be interested to have more A359, thus they would be keen to utilise the A339 in any other way.

Shorthaul can become Eurowings - than the competition becomes under peers with the other LCC's.

As unpleasant this answer for you is, on long term the European consolidation would mean also less hubs and BRU is not located or designed to be a winner.

[Atlantis]

Ideally, Lufty to sell to IAG.

So, why should they do that? No reason to cease market share without any reason.

If long haul is a problem, then the solution may be to transfer it to FCO or LID/MAD, if an additional acquisition goes through. As any of these brands would develop, the routes may get A339 or B789 operations which these brands already have.
ITA may be interested to have more A359, thus they would be keen to utilise the A339 in any other way.

Shorthaul can become Eurowings - than the competition becomes under peers with the other LCC's.

As unpleasant this answer for you is, on long term the European consolidation would mean also less hubs and BRU is not located or designed to be a winner.

When people on this forum here will understand that BRU neither SN will play in the huge league. That's for other airports who are much better located, who has a much different catch area, etc.
Where BRU and SN can be the differences will be for sure in Africa, Asia and much more niche markets.

All other megalomaan ideas, forget it. You will not like to hear it, but forget it

[oldblueeyes]

The reality is that within shortest distance there are 4 Top Tier hubs of all 3 major alliances. None of these big boys would cease anything that could weaken their position.

As 2nd tier hubs, all these groups would use airports that a mix of volume, specific market (either big or high loads) - Iberia/Madrid offers a strong Latam position (2,5 times Lufthansa and ITA combined), ITA offers home acces to Europes 3rd market, Swiss a strong premium yield demand, SAS covers a Northern hub with little competition around etc.

The rest needs to be or become moneymaking against the Ryanairs, Easys and Wizzairs of this world, as Lingus is doing in Dublin or Austrian in Vienna and be happy with some specific local demand or find nichts not in focus, limited or not attractive to others.

[rwandan-flyer]

It is not true Air France flew yesterday.

AF also restarts Niamey, Bamako ...

But right now AF does not fly Bamako / Niamey...Maybe july !

Niamey, OUA, and Bamako were planned to be suspended only for few weeks due to security reasons (several coups in Sahel & threats against France). Then when Air France has decided to resume, govenrments from these countrirs have said no, because AF did not warn them that they will suspend flights. Relations between France and these countries are very bad. France has closed its embassy in Niger and for the moment French aircraft can't overfly Niger

The reality is that within shortest distance there are 4 Top Tier hubs of all 3 major alliances. None of these big boys would cease anything that could weaken their position.

As 2nd tier hubs, all these groups would use airports that a mix of volume, specific market (either big or high loads) - Iberia/Madrid offers a strong Latam position (2,5 times Lufthansa and ITA combined), ITA offers home acces to Europes 3rd market, Swiss a strong premium yield demand, SAS covers a Northern hub with little competition around etc.

The rest needs to be or become moneymaking against the Ryanairs, Easys and Wizzairs of this world, as Lingus is doing in Dublin or Austrian in Vienna and be happy with some specific local demand or find nichts not in focus, limited or not attractive to others.

And i would add Finnair. Their main niche markets are Europe and Asia. Of course they have some destinations in US. But their biggest target is Asia / Europe market. And the competition is very stiff.

Contrary to others big airports in Nordics Countries, HEL is poorly served by airlines from Asia and North America. No US airlines serve Helsinki since the deparutre of American Airlines in mid 2010s. And from Asia side, onlyJuneyao Airlines and JAL serve HEL. No destination in Sub-Saharan Africa.

[longwings]

Where BRU and SN can be the differences will be for sure in Africa, Asia and much more niche markets.

Asia? Is that not only marginally more realistic than competing with its larger neighbors?

So, why should they do that? No reason to cease market share without any reason.

Why does anyone sell anything? I didn't suggest it would be an altruist move on Lufty's part. You also ignored the paragraph that started with "More realistically" for some reason. Oh well...

If long haul is a problem, than the solution may be to transfer it to FCO or LID/MAD, if an additional acquisition goes trough. As any of these brands would develop, the routes may get A339 or B789 operations which these brands already have.

We're not talking about the same thing. The kind of long-haul problem I address does not get solved by moving the fleet unless you're implying it's a personnel issue.

As unpleasant this answer for you is, on long term the European consolidation would mean also less hubs and BRU is not located or designed to be a winner.

Unpleasant for me? Rather presumptuous of you to say.