Brussels Airlines Adds Two Medium Haul Aircraft to Fleet for Summer 2022
- Joe Breitfeller
- Feb 28, 2022
- 2 min read
Brussels Airlines is adding an Airbus A319 and A320 to their medium-haul fleet for summer 2022, as leisure demand recovers. The carrier has extended the lease of one A319 until October 2022 and will advance the phase in an additional A320 to June 2022.
Today (February 28, 2022), Brussels Airlines announced the addition of two aircraft for summer 2022 to meet growing leisure travel demand. The carrier will extend the lease of one Airbus 319 until October 2022 and will advance the phase-in on an additional A320 to June 2022. In total, Brussels Airlines will offer 80 percent capacity this summer compared to summer 2019. The fleet expansion will offer an opportunity for pilots currently on a part time contracts the possibility of returning to a full time contract two years earlier than expected. Brussels Airlines has contacted former colleagues whose contracts were not extended due to the pandemic, and 135 out of 165 colleagues have agreed to return to the airline.
In Monday’s announcment, Brussels Airlines’ CEO, Peter Gerber, said,
“We see clear signals that this crisis is slowly but surely coming to an end. The leisure segment in the market recovered more quickly than originally expected and we also see a slow but steady increase in the demand for corporate travel. By 2024 we should again reach the level of 2019 if it comes to the demand in the business travel segment. This is definitely the right time to increase our market share and once again confirm our position as Belgium’s home carrier.”
In December 2021, Brussels Airlines announced an expansion of their international network with the addition of a ninth Airbus A330, allowing the carrier to increase frequencies in Sub Saharan Africa and to resume service to Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) and Conakry (Guinea), which were suspended in 2020.
Brussels Airlines is the national carrier of Belgium and a member of the Lufthansa Group. The carrier connects the European capital to over 70 destinations including 60 European, 15 African, two North America and Tel Aviv. Brussels Airlines operates 38 aircraft and has over 3,100 employees, supporting over 40,000 direct and indirect jobs. The carrier offers competitive fares and the highest levels of service quality, including bespoke onboard meals curated by yearly changing ‘Belgian Star Chefs.’ Founded in 2002, Brussels Airlines is a member of the Star Alliance and is 100 percent owned by Deutsche Lufthansa AG.
Source: Brussels Airlines