Brussels Airlines
| File:Brussels Airlines logo.gif | |||||||
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| Founded | 7 November 2006 | ||||||
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| Hubs | Brussels Airport | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Privilege | ||||||
| Fleet size | 49 | ||||||
| Destinations | 67 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Zaventem (Brussels), Belgium | ||||||
| Key people | Philippe Vander Putten (CEO); Etienne Davignon, Chairman | ||||||
| Website | http://www.brusselsairlines.com/ | ||||||
Brussels Airlines is the name of the Belgian airline formed through the merger of Virgin Express and SN Brussels Airlines (SNBA) in November 2006. It started operations from 25 March 2007 [1]. The airline is a member of IATA and the Association of European Airlines (AEA).
History
Brussels Airlines was created following the merger of SNBA and Virgin Express. On April 12, 2005, SN Airholding, the company behind SNBA signed an agreement with Richard Branson, giving it the holding control over Virgin Express. On 31 March, 2006 SNBA and Virgin Express announced their fusion into a single company.
On November 72006, the new name, Brussels Airlines, was announced at a press conference at Brussels Airport. The airline hopes to achieve at least a 55% market share at Brussels Airport. Brussels Airlines will add long haul destinations, notably to North America, and will attempt to strengthen the position of the airline in Africa. The airline also announced it wanted to expand its long haul fleet, which at the time comprised of three Airbus A330 planes. [citation needed]
Philippe Vander Putten, former Chairman of Belgian mobile phone operator Proximus, has been appointed as the new CEO of the company. He took up his position on 1 January 2007.
Early January 2007, the company announced it had acquired a fourth Airbus A330-300, coming from the defunct company Air Madrid.
Service
On European flights, the airline will offer two types of tickets in economy, b-flex and b-light.
- b-flex will be the more expensive ticket, offering full service, such as free newspapers and free catering.
- b-light will be a cheaper ticket, with snacks and drinks available to buy onboard.
On long-haul flights, plus flights to Helsinki, Moscow, St. Petersburg and Tel Aviv, Brussels Airlines offers both the traditional economy and business classes.
Brussels Airlines will continue with codeshare agreements arranged by its predecessor, SN Brussels Airlines.
Destinations
- Bujumbura in Burundi will be served from April 2007 with an A330-300.
Fleet
| Type | Number | Seats | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A319-100 | 3
|
132
|
|
| Airbus A330-300 | 4
|
264
|
|
| Avro RJ85 | 14
|
82
|
|
| Avro RJ100 | 12
|
97
|
|
| BAe 146-200 | 6
|
84
|
|
| Boeing 737-400 | 5
|
164
|
|
| Boeing 737-300 | 5
|
142
|
Total aircraft: 49
SN Air Holding has signed a letter of intention to lease one of Air Madrid's former A330-300.
Livery
The livery is similar to that of SN Brussels Airlines, with minor changes. The tail now shows the new "dotted B" logo of the airline instead of the Sabena S-tail. The callsign remains ESTAIL nonetheless. The orange cheat line on the fuselage has been removed. The light blue belly colour has been extended to cover the whole length of the aircraft. The name "Brussels Airlines" is written in dark blue on the top part of the fuselage, preceded by the airlines "b" logo. Most airplanes have an altered "b" logo after several superstitious travelers complained about the thirteen dots bringing bad luck. The logo now consists of fourteen dots.
External links
References
- ^ Airliner World January 2007