In addition to three new Airbus A320neos that will join the Brussels Airlines fleet in 2023, the company’s Board has approved the phase in of two additional A320neos in 2024. The new aircraft will support the carrier’s goal of cutting carbon emissions in half by 2030.
On Wednesday (December 7, 2022), Brussels Airlines announced that they will receive five brand new Airbus A320neos by 2024. In addition to three aircraft to be delivered in 2023, the company’s Board has approved the addition of two additional aircraft in 2024. The new aircraft will deliver reduced CO2 emissions and a smaller noise footprint compared to previous generation aircraft, and will help support Brussels Airlines’ mission to reduce emissions by 50 percent by 2030 compared to 2019 levels. The two additional A320neos will replace two Airbus A319s in the carrier’s fleet.
In Wednesday’s announcement, Brussels Airlines’ CEO, Peter Gerber, said,
“In addition to fleet renewal, intermodality and alternative fuels are important pillars to achieve our climate ambitions. Connecting Brussels Airport to the high-speed train network is essential to reduce short flights. That is not the case today. In addition, most of the emissions come from long-haul flights, for which there is no suitable alternative today. That's why we, together with the whole sector, must invest more in alternatives to fossil fuels. At Brussels Airlines we aspire to have the first flight with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in 2023. However, in order to use this more climate-friendly SAF on a large scale, major investments will have to be made in production facilities. Investments that we as a sector cannot bear alone.”
For the summer 2023 season, which starts March 26, 2023, Brussels Airlines will offer new service to Billund, Brindisi, Djerba, Monastir, Warsaw and Zurich, as well as to Berlin, Bordeaux, Chania, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Goteborg, Hamburg, Kos, Las Palmas, Lyon, Madrid, Munich, Palma de Mallorca and Tenerife. The carrier expects to grow their European network by 10 percent next summer, and will also increase frequencies on their long-haul routes. To accommodate the growth, Brussels Airlines will add four aircraft for summer 2023, creating around 200 additional jobs. The additional aircraft include two Airbus A320s that will permanently join the carrier’s fleet, along with two CRJ aircraft from wet-lease company CityJet. The 85-100 seat CRJs will operate to secondary markets such as Bordeaux and Billund.
In preparation for summer, Brussels Airlines plans on hiring 20 new pilots and 90 more cabin crew members over the next few months. The carrier is also recruiting 30 technicians and engineers, around 50 airport employees and 40 commercial & support positions in fields such as marketing, business analysts and customer service. During 2022, Brussels Airlines has already hired over 300 new colleagues.
Brussels Airlines is the national carrier of Belgium and a member of the Lufthansa Group. The carrier connects the European capital to over 85 destinations including 17 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Brussels Airlines operates a fleet of 41 aircraft including 15 Airbus A319s, 17 A320s and nine A330-300s, and will add five new Airbus A320neos by 2024. The airline has over 3,100 team members and supports 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