Brussels Airlines cancels close to 700 flights in July and August

The management of Brussels Airlines has cancelled 675 flights in the months July and August, or 6 percent of all flights, to meet the demand of pilots and cabin crew to reduce the workload. The airline announced this on Monday.

Social consultations will take place at Brussels Airlines on Monday afternoon. Unions threatened new actions last week following a three-day strike at the end of June. "We expect the management to cancel a number of flights during the months of July and August. We see that as the only solution at the moment to reduce the workload," Olivier Van Camp of the socialist trade union said before the consultation started.

The management seems to be meeting that demand. It had already cancelled 148 summer flights - which was not enough for the unions - and in the meantime it has announced that more than 500 more will be added. In total, 372 flights have now been cancelled in July and 303 in August. "That corresponds to an average of 6 percent of our flight schedule," says spokeswoman Maaike Andries. All affected travellers have already been informed and offered an alternative. 

Brussels Airlines calculated that the cancellations cost 10.2 million euros in lost earnings. That is as much as the three-day strike cost the airline. Management says it cannot do more. "It is commercially impossible to cancel any more flights", they say. It is now waiting to see if the unions will be satisfied with these additional cancellations. 

The social consultation on Monday, in the presence of CEO Peter Gerber, is mainly about the measures to reduce the workload this summer. On August 23 they will discuss long-term solutions to reduce the workload and offer staff a better work-life balance.

(TOM)

© BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM