Like Atlantis said earlier in this topic: there should be (and I hope there is) a plan A, B, C,...Shonix wrote: ↑23 Jun 2020, 10:58Indeed, it's important to further investigate who these authors are. After a quick check I noticed that the majority was quite young and did not notice any aviation background.Passenger wrote: ↑21 Jun 2020, 20:21We already had this story a few weeks ago, when the same people published their manifesto in a Flemish newspaper. Their motivation has nothing do with corona, with economics, with Brussels Airlines and/or with Brussels Airport. I have googeled all of the signers. They vary from utopia dreamers to ecologic fundamentalists. Common interest: we hate aviation.Shonix wrote: ↑21 Jun 2020, 19:30 Opinion in La Libre Belgique mainly from some Belgian universities’ researchers: ‘Nationalizing Brussels Airlines is the only choice for the futuré
In French only:
https://www.lalibre.be/debats/opinions/ ... 1bd09d5591
Most of them are very young – many were still university student till just a few months ago.
One of them published an open letter in a Flemish newspaper on 13th January 2020: “any publicity for meat, for cars and for holiday trips should be forbitten”.
One of them tries to re-write the Economics university education because it's focussed too much on... economics, and too little on ecology.
One of them even refuses to use a car: “I only use public transport. Or I walk”.
One of them is a young historian specializing in 12th century urbanization at Bruges.
I abstain from describing the others because I then have to mention political parties.
Their proposal to nationalize both Brussels Airlines and Brussels Airport is not the result of economical, rational thinking. It is surrealistic and ridiculous. Extraterrestrial thinking. Their next demand will be “the airport may open for business Mon-Fri 09h-16h”.
However, discussing about nationalizing Brussels Airlines cannot be described as an "extraterrestrial thinking". It's an option to consider and worth to discuss on given the current circumstances.
Nationalizing Brussels Airlines might be an option if, and only if, it comes with retaining the advantages SN got when it got acquired by LH back in 2009, especially alliance membership.
Preferably, LH and the Belgian state reach an agreement and things can proceed as they were supposed to. Plan A.
Plan B should be taking SN off LH's hands, but continuing with the company in its current form.
Plan C should be SN quiting the LH Group, but with a solid engagement from another alliance (preferably Oneworld) for SN to join.
In the latter two cases the government can keep the redundant SN staff on (partial) unemployment, rebuilding its short and medium haul network and gradually add long haul equipment (which might be quite cheap since airlines massiverly scaling down) to build up long haul whenever possible. Given the changing aviation after Covid, they'd have to reorientate SN towards a more classic full service airline.