Brussels Airlines facts for kids
Brussels Airlines A319-111 in standard livery
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| Founded | 7 November 2006 (amalgamation) |
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| Commenced operations | 25 March 2007 |
| Hubs | Brussels Airport |
| Frequent-flyer program | Miles & More |
| Alliance | Star Alliance |
| Fleet size | 46 |
| Destinations | 92 |
| Parent company | Lufthansa Group |
| Headquarters | Brussels Airport, Belgium |
| Key people | Dorothea von Boxberg (CEO) |
| Employees | 4,000 |
| Website | |
Brussels Airlines is the main airline of Belgium. It is based at Brussels Airport. The airline flies to over 100 places in Europe, North America, and Africa. They also offer special flights, plane repairs, and training for flight crews. Brussels Airlines is part of the Star Alliance, which is a big group of airlines. The airline's code, SN, comes from older Belgian airlines. Brussels Airlines is also part of the Lufthansa Group. Their slogan is ′You’re in good company′.
Contents
History of Brussels Airlines
How the Airline Started (2005–2010)
Brussels Airlines was formed when two airlines, Virgin Express and SN Brussels Airlines, joined together. This happened after Belgium's previous national airline, Sabena, went out of business.
On April 12, 2005, the company that owned SN Brussels Airlines agreed to take control of Virgin Express. Then, on March 31, 2006, both airlines announced they would merge into one company. The new name, Brussels Airlines, was announced on November 7, 2006. The airline started flying on March 25, 2007.
At one point, the airline had to change its logo. The first logo had 13 dots, but some passengers were worried about the number 13 being unlucky. So, the airline changed it to a 14-dot logo.
In September 2008, a big German airline called Lufthansa decided to buy 45% of Brussels Airlines. This deal also meant that Brussels Airlines would join Star Alliance, a global group of airlines. Brussels Airlines officially became the 26th member of Star Alliance on December 9, 2009.
Since October 25, 2009, Brussels Airlines has been part of Lufthansa's frequent flyer program called Miles & More. This program lets passengers earn points for flying.
Airline Growth (Since 2010)
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In July 2010, Brussels Airlines added a fifth Airbus A330-300 plane to its fleet. They also started flying more often to Abidjan and added new places like Accra and Lomé in Africa.
In June 2012, Brussels Airlines started flying daily to New York JFK. This was the first time a Belgian airline flew to New York in 10 years. Later, in June 2013, they added flights to Washington Dulles. By April 2016, Toronto Pearson was also added to their North American routes.
In April 2015, Brussels Airlines was praised for continuing to fly to West African countries during the Ebola outbreak. This allowed important aid to be delivered when most other airlines stopped flying there.
On March 22, 2016, there were bomb attacks at Brussels Airport. The airport was closed for a few days. Brussels Airlines had to move some of its long flights to other airports like Zurich and Frankfurt. They also used buses to take passengers to other nearby airports for European flights.
In September 2016, Lufthansa decided to buy the remaining 55% of Brussels Airlines. This deal was completed in January 2017, making Brussels Airlines fully owned by Lufthansa.
In March 2017, Brussels Airlines took over some flights and crew members from another Belgian airline, Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium, which was closing down.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium, Brussels Airlines stopped all flights for a period. They also had to cancel some routes and flights. Like many airlines, they offered travel vouchers instead of refunds to affected customers.
In November 2021, Brussels Airlines updated its look with a new logo and design.
Airline Management
Main Office
The main office for Brussels Airlines is called "b.house." It is located at Brussels Airport in Diegem, Machelen, Belgium.
Ownership
Brussels Airlines is almost completely owned by a Belgian company called SN Airholding SA/NV. Since January 2017, Lufthansa owns 100% of SN Airholding SA/NV. This means Brussels Airlines is fully part of the Lufthansa Group.
Dieter Vranckx has been the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Brussels Airlines since January 1, 2020.
Places They Fly To
Brussels Airlines is a member of Star Alliance, a large group of airlines that work together.
Partner Airlines
Brussels Airlines also works with other airlines through "codeshare agreements." This means they can sell tickets on each other's flights. Here are some of their partners:
- Aegean Airlines
- AirBaltic
- Air Canada
- All Nippon Airways
- Austrian Airlines
- Croatia Airlines
- Egyptair
- Etihad Airways
- Eurowings
- Hainan Airlines
- ITA Airways
- KM Malta Airlines
- Lufthansa
- Singapore Airlines
- SunExpress
- Swiss International Air Lines
- TAAG Angola Airlines
- TAP Portugal
- Thai Airways International
- United Airlines
Planes They Use
Current Fleet
As of March 2025, Brussels Airlines uses only Airbus planes. Here are the types of planes they have:
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | E+ | E | Total | ||||
| Airbus A319-100 | 14 | — | — | — | 141 | 141 | Older planes that will be replaced by newer Airbus A320neo planes. |
| Airbus A320-200 | 16 | — | — | — | 180 | 180 | |
| Airbus A320neo | 5 | 3 | — | — | 180 | 180 | These planes are replacing older Airbus A319-100s. |
| Airbus A330-300 | 11 | 2 | 30 | 21 | 242 | 293 | These planes are being moved from Lufthansa. |
| Total | 46 | 5 | |||||
Special Plane Designs
Brussels Airlines has painted some of its Airbus A320 planes with special designs called "Belgian Icons." These designs show things that are famous in Belgium. Some examples include:
- Rackham: A plane themed after The Adventures of Tintin comics.
- Magritte: A plane honoring the famous artist René Magritte.
- Trident: A plane for the Belgium national football team.
- Amare: A plane with a Tomorrowland Festival theme.
- A plane themed after The Smurfs.
- A plane dedicated to the painter Bruegel.
As of 2024, only the Tintin plane still has its special design. The other planes have been repainted. However, a new Airbus A320neo plane received a new version of the Tomorrowland design.
Services for Passengers
Frequent Flyer Programs
Brussels Airlines uses Miles & More, which is Lufthansa's program for frequent flyers. Passengers can earn miles (points) when they fly with Brussels Airlines or other airlines in the Star Alliance group. These miles can be used for future flights or other rewards.
Onboard Entertainment
Brussels Airlines offers magazines for passengers. b-there! is a monthly magazine for flights within Europe. B Spirit Magazine is published every two months for flights to Africa. You can also download these magazines as an app.
From November 2011 to the end of 2012, Brussels Airlines updated the inside of its A330 planes. The new economy seats have personal screens where you can watch movies and shows. Business class seats are now lie-flat and have bigger screens for entertainment.
Awards and Recognition
Top Airline in 2024
In 2024, Brussels Airlines was named the top airline by the AirHelp Score Report. AirHelp is a company that helps passengers with flight claims. They looked at 109 airlines and judged them on how often flights were on time, how good the food and seats were, and how well the crew served passengers. Brussels Airlines came in first place!
More Information
- List of airports in Belgium
- Transport in Belgium
See also
In Spanish: Brussels Airlines para niños
