AIRLINE SUSPENDS FLIGHTS TO NEW YORK, ITALY AND ISRAEL AND REDUCED CAPACITY ACROSS THE NETWORK

(Posted Saturday the 14th of March 2020 – from the Observatory by Geolodges, Rubirizi District, Uganda)

Brussels Airlines announces additional flight cancellations for March and a reduced timetable for April 2020

• The airline adapts its flight offer following national governments travel restrictions
• Additional flight cancellations in March
• Structurally reduced timetable for the month of April (-45%)
• Brussels Airlines to adapt its flight offer to and from the US as of 14th of March
• First economic measures launched for employees across the entire company

Network Updates

Due to the exceptional circumstances caused by the spread of the coronavirus, Brussels Airlines is forced to cancel additional flights for the month of March and to operate a reduced flight schedule in the month of April. With this measure, the Belgian airline adapts her offer to reflect the travel restrictions imposed by many countries around the world, leading also to a severe decline in demand for air travel.

In total, Brussels Airlines reduces its flight offer in March by 35% and in April by 45%.

Following the recent announcement of the US Department of Homeland Security on travel restrictions to the US, Brussels Airlines has no other option than temporarily suspending all its flights to New York JFK as from 14th of March until further notice. Until further notice, the Belgian airline continues operating its four weekly frequencies to Washington. New York continues to be served by other airlines within the Lufthansa Group, via Frankfurt and Zurich.

Due to government travel restrictions to/from Israel and Italy, Brussels Airlines is forced to temporarily suspend all flights to and from these countries until respectively 28th of March and 03rd of April.

The flight cancellations are being implemented in the booking systems. Passengers whose flight is cancelled will be informed of the changes and rebooking options throughout the day.

In order to respond to the need of its customers for more flexibility in the current circumstances, Brussels Airlines offers greater flexibility to change travel plans. All the latest information on rebooking and refund options can be found on brusselsairlines.com.

Flight schedule adjustments for the period after 30th of April will be decided at a later date with the aim to offer Brussels Airlines guests a reduced, but stable flight plan in the weeks to come.

Brussels Airlines passengers who are planning to travel in the coming weeks are recommended to check the current status of their flight on brusselsairlines.com before departure.

Economic measures

As a consequence of the dramatic coronavirus outbreak and the reduction of its flight offer, Brussels Airlines launches first economic measures for its personnel to limit the negative financial impact on the company. The Belgian airline launches partial temporary technical unemployment across the entire company as of 16th of March.

Brussels Airlines, for now, maintains its schedules to Africa, with Entebbe in Uganda being served daily, once a week via Bujumbura and six times a week via Kigali.

The airline is however closely monitoring load factors given the decision by the Uganda government to impose a 14 day quarantine on all visitors from Italy, San Marino, Iran, South Korea, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, USA, UK, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Austria and Malaysia.

Should load factors drop below economically viable numbers, are decisions anticipated not just for the route into Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda but also for other African destinations. ATCNews will at the time then report updates.

Visitors from these 14 countries – and the list can expand with no notice to other countries given the circumstances – will be required to go into quarantine under tight rules, AND PAY FOR IT THEMSELVES.