Brussels Airlines has decided to cancel about 700 flights for this summer season, but unions believe that the airline will need to cancel even more.
On Monday, Brussels Airlines announced that it will cancel nearly 700 flights in July and August to meet the unions’ demand to relieve the high work pressure felt by the staff and cabin crew. But unions believe the Belgian company will need to cancel more due to a lack of staff.
People are already exhausted as the high season has only just begun and they have the right, even the duty, to invoke their inability to fly if they do not feel capable.
Olivier Van Camp, the permanent secretary of SETCa BBTK union
According to the unions representing the staff, cabin crew, and pilots, the workload of Brussels Airlines personnel during the summer months is not sustainable. Staff is requesting the airline to implement concrete measures during the summer season to relieve the high work pressure.
1. Brussels Airlines to lose at least €10.2 million euros
Brussels Airlines proposed the cancellation of 6% of its flights, 372 flights in July and 303 in August, for a total of 675 flights. The company said that the summer cancellations will translate into a loss of €10.2 million, and added that it would be impossible to cut more flights from the summer schedule.
The financial impact of the above cancellations corresponds to €10.2 million euros in lost revenue. This amount corresponds to the first estimate of the cost of the strike of June 23, 24 and 25 [… ] It is commercially impossible to cancel more.
Brussels Airlines
2. Deleting 700 out of 12,400 flights is not enough
However, the measures will not be enough to reduce the staff pressure to a sustainable level, unions say. Olivier Van Camp, the permanent secretary of SETCa BBTK union, noted that the effectiveness of the cancellations also depend on which flights Brussels Airlines has planned to cancel.
Deleting 700 flights out of 12,400, fine, but it depends on whether it’s flights of 1 hour, 3 hours or 6 hours. It’s not the same thing at all.
Olivier Van Camp, the permanent secretary of SETCa BBTK union.
At the moment, the unions have not planned further strikes.
