Brussels Airlines, the flag carrier and largest airline in Belgium, was established on November 7, 2006, and commenced operations on March 25, 2007. Its headquarters are located at Brussels Airport. The airline serves over 100 destinations across Europe, Africa, and North America and offers maintenance, charter services, and crew training. Brussels Airlines is a proud member of the Star Alliance and the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The airline retains the IATA code SN, which was inherited from its predecessors, SN Brussels, and Sabena. Brussels Airlines is part of the Lufthansa Group.

History

Early Years (2005-2009)
Brussels Airlines emerged from the merger of SN Brussels Airlines and Virgin Express, with the former established after the bankruptcy of Belgium's former national carrier, Sabena. On April 12, 2005, SN Air holding reached an agreement with Richard Branson, granting control over Virgin Express. The merger between SNBA and Virgin Express was officially announced on March 31, 2006, leading to the commencement of operations on March 25, 2007. Interestingly, the airline had to change its 13-dot logo to a 14-dot logo due to superstitions among passengers.

On September 25, 2008, it was announced that Lufthansa would acquire a 45% stake in Brussels Airlines, with an option to acquire the remaining 55% by 2011. This agreement also included Brussels Airlines joining the Star Alliance. The ICAO code was changed from DAT to BEL on October 26, 2008.

Brussels Airlines announced on June 25, 2009, that the European Commission had approved Lufthansa's acquisition of a minority share in the airline, allowing it to join the Star Alliance. Lufthansa purchased 45% of the airline in 2009 and acquired the remaining stake in January 2017.

Lufthansa introduced its frequent flyer program, Miles & More, to Brussels Airlines on October 25, 2009.

In December 2009, Brussels Airlines revealed plans to establish a new regional airline in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, named Korongo. This airline was launched in 2012 but ceased operations in 2015.

Development Since 2010

In July 2019, a fifth Airbus A330-300 joined the fleet, leading to increased frequencies to destinations like Abidjan, Lome, Cotonou, Accra, and Ouagadougou. On August 11, 2010, Brussels Airlines announced a collaboration with the Club Med tour operator.

The airline presented its new maintenance report on August 26, 2010, officially ending its contract with Sabena Technics for the A330 and Boeing 737 on January 1, 2011.

Brussels Airlines inaugurated its route to New York JFK on June 1, 2012, becoming the first Belgian airline to fly to New York in a decade since the Delsey and Sabena airlines ceased operations. Starting from June 18, 2013, the airline has been operating five weekly flights to Washington Dulles. In March 2017, it was announced that a new service to Mumbai would commence with five flights per week.

In January 2014, Brussels Airlines added nine seasonal destinations and re-entered the Polish market after several years. In April 2015, the White House commended Brussels Airlines for maintaining regular flights to Western African countries during the Ebola outbreak.

On March 22, 2016, members of the terrorist organization ISIL detonated two bombs at Brussels Airport, leading to its closure on March 27, 2016. On September 28, 2016, the supervisory board of Lufthansa announced that Brussels Airlines would exercise the option to acquire the remaining 55% of the airline.

Ownership Structure

Brussels Airlines has its registered office in Elsene-Ixelles, and the airline is almost 100% owned by SN Airholding, a Belgian holding company.