Air Belgium in 2022

Join this forum to discuss the latest news that happened in the world of commercial aviation.

Moderator: Latest news team

Post Reply
Passenger
Posts: 7263
Joined: 06 Dec 2010, 20:54

Re: Air Belgium in 2022

Post by Passenger »

rwandan-flyer wrote: 08 Apr 2022, 09:00
sn26567 wrote: 07 Apr 2022, 15:02
rwandan-flyer wrote: 07 Apr 2022, 11:35 I m curious to know how many pax RwandAir carries between Johannesburg / Cape Town and Brussels. They serve Brussels 3 times a week, Cape Town 3 times a week and Johannesburg 10 times a week.
What are the connection times? People don't like losing hours at an intermediate airport. Ideally, it should be between 2 and 4 hours in both directions.
Flights to Cape Town leaves Kigali in the morning via Harare and back to Kigali in the evening. Almost same timetables for Johannesburg flights with a stop at Lusaka.

BRU-KGL flights leave BRU in the evening and arrives early in the morning and for the KGL-BRU

Flights to Cape Town are operated mainly with CRJ-900* and B737-700 / 800. About Johannesburg, mostly B737-800s and few times A330s

Depennding period (winter or summer iata season) you are to wait for at Kigali between 2 and 4 hours in both directions.

* In Africa, many airlines uses regional aircraft on some long distance flights for a regional aircraft. Ethiopian Airlines uses sometimes its Q400 to Tanzania and Rwanda. Kenya Airways uses its ERJ to Kinshasa, Douala, Cape Town (daylight flight), Johannesburg, Douala, Bangui, Lusaka, Harare, Mauritius and Seychelles. Air Peace (Nigeria) uses its Embraer E2 from Nigeria to Senegal,...
longwings wrote: 07 Apr 2022, 14:58 So O/D for CPT alone can fill 1.5 flights a week. Maybe 3x weekly for JNB/CPT is doable if they capture most of the demand and create new one. Definitely a leisure route though. Biz travelers will prefer KLM's daily flight.
Belgium is a huge partner for the Western Cape goods exported, so it means that Air Belgium can probably also make profits thanks to the huge cargo demand. Cargo doesn't need to make a connection via Doha, Dubai, Johannesburg, Addis Ababa, Istanbul, Amsterdam,....Johannesburg has direct cargo links with Belgium but no Cape Town. Gain time
Rwandair can't accommodate a lot of traffic from South Africa to Belgium: JNB-KGL arrives in Kigali, a few hours after KGL-BRU has left. And for CPT, the schedule is also quite unfriendly: first CPT-HRE-KGL (dep 15h30 local), then 4 hours waiting time in Kigali for KGL-BRU, departing at 02h30 a.m.

rwandan-flyer
Posts: 978
Joined: 19 Dec 2010, 12:30

Re: Air Belgium in 2022

Post by rwandan-flyer »

In deed number of passengers is probably very low.
Rwanda Aviation News (Drones, Air Force, Civil Aviation, Space, Air Balloon): https://www.facebook.com/RwandAn-Flyer-153177931456873

Lux_avi
Posts: 299
Joined: 09 Apr 2021, 18:09

Re: Air Belgium in 2022

Post by Lux_avi »

I wonder how they fill in their (real) business class on their routes.
Anyone has an idea of their loads in business?

Passenger
Posts: 7263
Joined: 06 Dec 2010, 20:54

Re: Air Belgium in 2022

Post by Passenger »

Sunday's KF-885 Baku-Chengdu (B747-8-F OE-LFD) returned to Baku after one hour. Departure eastbound was at FL330, then FL170 for a few minutes, then FL330 again for a few minutes till a 180° turn. Return back to Baku was at FL180-FL140.

Aircraft seems to be AOG at Baku:
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/airc ... d#2bdedae0

lucas
Posts: 204
Joined: 01 Feb 2017, 15:06

Re: Air Belgium in 2022

Post by lucas »

By the end of this summer, Air Belgium will change to a completely new passenger reservation system as well as a new internet booking engine. This will offer more functionalities, new services and a greater convenience to the customers. Niky Terzakis announced this via his Facebook-page this morning, five years after the launche of the airlines first website.

B737229
Posts: 1173
Joined: 22 Jun 2003, 00:00

Re: Air Belgium in 2022

Post by B737229 »

Air Belgium is adding A330-200s to the fleet according to CH aviation.

Article is only readable for subscribed members

Anyone more info on this ?

SR20
Posts: 690
Joined: 17 Apr 2017, 09:14

Re: Air Belgium in 2022

Post by SR20 »

Former A6-EYN from Etihad Airways it appears !

https://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-a330-832.htm

B737229
Posts: 1173
Joined: 22 Jun 2003, 00:00

Re: Air Belgium in 2022

Post by B737229 »

SR20 wrote: 25 Jul 2022, 13:39 Former A6-EYN from Etihad Airways it appears !

https://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-a330-832.htm
Thank you for input

PopUp

Re: Air Belgium in 2022

Post by PopUp »

Were they not considering flying to the USA ? I wish they would have an afternoon flight to JFK. Might AA be interested by a code-share ?

longwings
Posts: 129
Joined: 25 Feb 2019, 03:51

Re: Air Belgium in 2022

Post by longwings »

lucas wrote: 31 May 2022, 12:35This will offer more functionalities, new services and a greater convenience to the customers.
This is usually code for new fees for services for the passengers.

PopUp

Re: Air Belgium in 2022

Post by PopUp »

I do not think this is specific for Air Belgium, but when an airline announces changes that will benefit passengers, it usually means the opposite (with a few rare exceptions)

User avatar
sn26567
Posts: 40815
Joined: 13 Feb 2003, 00:00
Location: Rosières/Rozieren, Belgium
Contact:

Re: Air Belgium in 2022

Post by sn26567 »

Indirectly related to Air Belgium:
Air France-KLM looks likely to take full commercial control of CMA CGM Air Cargo, which is restructuring its fledgling business – but has only until 01 December 2022 to form a full cargo agreement.
André
ex Sabena #26567

B737229
Posts: 1173
Joined: 22 Jun 2003, 00:00

Re: Air Belgium in 2022

Post by B737229 »

SR20 wrote: 25 Jul 2022, 13:39 Former A6-EYN from Etihad Airways it appears !

https://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-a330-832.htm
besides A6-EYN , Former A6-EYU seems to be reserved for Air Belgium
https://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-a330-1521.htm

User avatar
sn26567
Posts: 40815
Joined: 13 Feb 2003, 00:00
Location: Rosières/Rozieren, Belgium
Contact:

Re: Air Belgium in 2022

Post by sn26567 »

B737229 wrote: 10 Aug 2022, 15:56
SR20 wrote: 25 Jul 2022, 13:39 Former A6-EYN from Etihad Airways it appears !

https://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-a330-832.htm
besides A6-EYN , Former A6-EYU seems to be reserved for Air Belgium
https://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-a330-1521.htm
Again with an Austrian registration? They should be called Air Austria! Since Belgian governmental organisations are shareholders of Air Belgium, I wonder why they don't insist on having a Belgian registration.
André
ex Sabena #26567

TLspotting
Posts: 3075
Joined: 19 Mar 2017, 10:22
Location: Uccle/Ukkel, BE
Contact:

Re: Air Belgium in 2022

Post by TLspotting »

sn26567 wrote: 10 Aug 2022, 21:48
B737229 wrote: 10 Aug 2022, 15:56
SR20 wrote: 25 Jul 2022, 13:39 Former A6-EYN from Etihad Airways it appears !

https://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-a330-832.htm
besides A6-EYN , Former A6-EYU seems to be reserved for Air Belgium
https://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-a330-1521.htm
Again with an Austrian registration? They should be called Air Austria! Since Belgian governmental organisations are shareholders of Air Belgium, I wonder why they don't insist on having a Belgian registration.
The leasing company is registered in Austria.
Hi. I'm Thibault Lapers. @ThibaultLapers & @TLspotting

User avatar
sn26567
Posts: 40815
Joined: 13 Feb 2003, 00:00
Location: Rosières/Rozieren, Belgium
Contact:

Re: Air Belgium in 2022

Post by sn26567 »

TLspotting wrote: 10 Aug 2022, 22:47
sn26567 wrote: 10 Aug 2022, 21:48
Again with an Austrian registration? They should be called Air Austria! Since Belgian governmental organisations are shareholders of Air Belgium, I wonder why they don't insist on having a Belgian registration.
The leasing company is registered in Austria.
So what? All the Brussels Airlines aircraft are leased from foreign companies and still registered in Belgium.
André
ex Sabena #26567

Miqvell
Posts: 182
Joined: 13 Jan 2021, 18:24

Re: Air Belgium in 2022

Post by Miqvell »

These are the registrations while in storage, nothing definitive.
We don't even know for how long they will be leased; no need to register an aircraft in Belgium for - let's say - a single month of operation with Air Belgium.

TLspotting
Posts: 3075
Joined: 19 Mar 2017, 10:22
Location: Uccle/Ukkel, BE
Contact:

Re: Air Belgium in 2022

Post by TLspotting »

sn26567 wrote: 10 Aug 2022, 23:05
TLspotting wrote: 10 Aug 2022, 22:47
sn26567 wrote: 10 Aug 2022, 21:48
Again with an Austrian registration? They should be called Air Austria! Since Belgian governmental organisations are shareholders of Air Belgium, I wonder why they don't insist on having a Belgian registration.
The leasing company is registered in Austria.
So what? All the Brussels Airlines aircraft are leased from foreign companies and still registered in Belgium.
At the moment, both aircraft are not operated by Air Belgium and have their rental registration
Hi. I'm Thibault Lapers. @ThibaultLapers & @TLspotting

Lux_avi
Posts: 299
Joined: 09 Apr 2021, 18:09

Re: Air Belgium in 2022

Post by Lux_avi »

sn26567 wrote: 10 Aug 2022, 23:05
TLspotting wrote: 10 Aug 2022, 22:47
sn26567 wrote: 10 Aug 2022, 21:48
Again with an Austrian registration? They should be called Air Austria! Since Belgian governmental organisations are shareholders of Air Belgium, I wonder why they don't insist on having a Belgian registration.
The leasing company is registered in Austria.
So what? All the Brussels Airlines aircraft are leased from foreign companies and still registered in Belgium.
Will you ever understand that the BCAA is a total mess, and that getting some aircraft registered as OO-xxx can be a real pain in the a**?

Nobody cares where the planes are registered.
Shareholders will care if they loose months with planes grounded due to paperwork though.

Why don’t you contact the BCAA?
Perhaps you’ll start to get why when you get their automatic reply by email.

longwings
Posts: 129
Joined: 25 Feb 2019, 03:51

Re: Air Belgium in 2022

Post by longwings »

sn26567 wrote: 10 Aug 2022, 23:05So what? All the Brussels Airlines aircraft are leased from foreign companies and still registered in Belgium.
Lux_avi wrote: 14 Aug 2022, 15:05 Nobody cares where the planes are registered.
Shareholders will care if they loose months with planes grounded due to paperwork though.
If you had written "passengers do not care" where aircraft are registered, I would have agreed. "Nobody" is a stretch. I doubt lessors and insurance companies would let Brussels Airlines register their aircraft in Armenia if they wanted. Regulators would certainly not let the planes take off from BRU.

Speed of service is a factor, but not the only one. The FAA is about 6 months behind in processing aircraft registration applications, yet I don’t see airlines rushing to establish trusts in the Virgin Islands to register their aircraft faster… Maybe because a duly completed registration request can be used in lieu of actual registration if the registrant was smart enough to reserve a N-number.

Any EU airline can register their aircraft anywhere in the EU (and a few other places). Out of convenience and political expediency, most airlines register their aircraft where they are based, but clearly there are exceptions.

Austria and Ireland are popular places because their registrars are very efficient and local laws on deregistering and repossessing aircraft are very “friendly” to lessors. Generally, the worst a lessee’s financial situation is, the more a lessor is going to insist on lease terms dictating where the aircraft can be registered. Cost and speed of service are factors as well.

A sizeable portion of TNT Airways' fleet was registered in Austria. Same can be said for ASL Airlines Belgium, including (I think) all its 747s. I don’t know enough to tell whether their finance or need for quicker service than the BCAA provides is the primary factor.

Registering an aircraft outside of an airline’s home country does come with some headaches though. For one, typically the country of registration is responsible for oversight of the aircraft unless there are arrangements made at the government level (e.g., Austria and Germany have agreed that German authorities are responsible for German-operated aircraft registered in Austria). That means complying with their laws, filing their forms, and if the country of oversight wants to come and check out how a foreign operator runs their airline, they are not exactly taking out the government credit card and hitting the Ryanair web site…

Post Reply