Brussels Airlines' fleet renewal

[crew1990]

Monday 1st february, OO-SFZ, the last A330-200 will be ferried to Twente Airport in the Netherlands. OO-SFZ was the last aircraft in the Brussels Airlines fleet to be builded before year 2000.

[convair]

Hello,

I'm wondering if the crew that will bring back OO-SFG from AMM this thursday (?) is
the same that is now flying OO-SFE on its way to AMM (left BRU at 10:31).

Cheers, Alain.

Would be logical; maybe with a third pilot for possible delays.

[Kapitein]

Monday 1st february, OO-SFZ, the last A330-200 will be ferried to Twente Airport in the Netherlands. OO-SFZ was the last aircraft in the Brussels Airlines fleet to be builded before year 2000.

Is again delayed until 03/02/2021

[rwandan-flyer]

Monday 1st february, OO-SFZ, the last A330-200 will be ferried to Twente Airport in the Netherlands. OO-SFZ was the last aircraft in the Brussels Airlines fleet to be builded before year 2000.

Video of the landing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4glgdjTP1f4

[Established02]

OO-SSC (screen shot from the video above)

[Matt]

Ok, I am going to start this question by saying that I don't know a lot of the operations of an airline. I only have a vast knowledge of the technical aspect (i.e. avionics )

That said; I know that Brussels Airlines is not getting any new aircraft.

But in the near future; I see that a lot of airliners are going bankrupt and that a lot of A330-200's with RR-Trent 700 engines are being parked.

Are those; future wise; not interesting aircraft to SN ?

Kr,

Matt

[crew1990]

I don't think it will happend any time soon to have A330-200 for BRU operation. With the reboot plus program, the guideline is SIMPLIFICATION. Simplification of the way of working, département synergy, onboard product, feet etc.

For the fleet, for the short and mid-term. Brussels Airlines will operate the A330-300, and will not introduce the 200 again.

For short haul fleet, there is a mix of A319/320, the ratio os kind of 50/50 at the moment but more A320 will join and more A319 will leave.

There is as far as I know no plan to reintroduce smaller wet leased aircraft, one again for simplification purpose.

One of the next step in regards of the fleet would be to simplify the number of lessor. In the short haul fleet, the aircraft are leased from many different entity, and once again, to reduce the cost, SN want simplification.

[ChemtrailSwitch]

After OO-SFZ, that left the fleet last month, it was time for OO-SSI to leave the Brussels Airlines fleet.
On monday 1 march it left Brussels bound for Zagreb Croatia (C-check).
A319's that still have to leave the fleet are: OO-SSE, OO-SSH, OO-SSK and OO-SSM.

[crew1990]

I'm wondering if Brussels Airlines could take over a A330 from the Eurowing ops for the summer?

When you look at the summer time table, it looks like this:

Monday 8 A330
Dakar/Banjul
Abidjan/Cotonou
Accra/Lomé
Douala/Yaoundé
Entebbe/Kigali
Kinshasa
New York
Washington

Tuesday 9 A330
Dakar/Banjul
Abidjan/Accra
Douala/Yaoundé
Monrovia/Freetown
Kinshasa/Luanda
Entebbe/Kigali
New York
Washington
Montréal

Wednesday 8 A330
Dakar/Banjul
Abidjan/Accra
Douala/Yaoundé
Monrovia/Freetown
Entebbe/Bujumbura
Kinshasa
New York
Washington

Thursday 9 A330
Dakar/Banjul
Abidjan/Cotonou
Accra/Lomé
Douala/Yaoundé
Kinshasa/Luanda
Entebbe/Kigali
New York
Washington
Montréal

Friday 8 A330
Dakar/Banjul
Abidjan/Accra
Douala/Yaoundé
Monrovia/Freetown
Entebbe/Kigali
Kinshasa
New York
Washington

Saturday 9 A330
Dakar/Banjul
Abidjan/Cotonou
Accra/Lomé
Douala/Yaoundé
Kinshasa
Entebbe/Kigali
New York
Washington
Montréal

Sunday 9 A330
Dakar/Banjul
Abidjan/Accra
Douala/Yaoundé
Monrovia/Freetown
Kinshasa/Luanda
Entebbe/Bujumbura
New York
Montréal
Washington

[Samuel Zerilli]

I'm wondering if Brussels Airlines could take over a A330 from the Eurowing ops for the summer ?

Good evening,

I think it will be necessary. Currently only OO-SFB in Eurowings livery operates for SN. OO-SFJ is operational but operates by Lufthansa / Eurowings. If we look, OO-SFK which is opf Eurowings returned yesterday from Luqa so we can imagine a return to service soon.
If we look at the program side maximum 9 planes should be used, currently SN uses 6 planes (OO-SFB / SFE / SFD / SFG / SFH / SFX), but OO-SFC and OO-SFK are in Brussels so can be used at any time. And OO-SFF left for Amman should return.

To conclude, I think that this summer the fleet will be made up of 9 A333s including OO-SFB / SFE / SFD / SFG / SFH / SFX / SFF / SFK.

Samuel,

[pijaleu]

I suppose the Saturday rotation to LHR on A330 will end then?
Otherwise it will take 10 planes ...

[crew1990]

Indeed, A330 ops on LHR routes was planned every saturday untill 28th of March

[Samuel Zerilli]

After OO-SFZ, that left the fleet last month, it was time for OO-SSI to leave the Brussels Airlines fleet.
On monday 1 march it left Brussels bound for Zagreb Croatia (C-check).
A319's that still have to leave the fleet are: OO-SSE, OO-SSH, OO-SSK and OO-SSM.

Hello !

Do you have any departure dates for the A319s yet to depart ?

Samuel,

[convair]

I'm wondering if Brussels Airlines could take over a A330 from the Eurowing ops for the summer?

When you look at the summer time table, it looks like this:

Monday 8 A330
Dakar/Banjul
Abidjan/Cotonou
Accra/Lomé
Douala/Yaoundé
Entebbe/Kigali
Kinshasa
New York
Washington

Tuesday 9 A330
Dakar/Banjul
Abidjan/Accra
Douala/Yaoundé
Monrovia/Freetown
Kinshasa/Luanda
Entebbe/Kigali
New York
Washington
Montréal

Wednesday 8 A330
Dakar/Banjul
Abidjan/Accra
Douala/Yaoundé
Monrovia/Freetown
Entebbe/Bujumbura
Kinshasa
New York
Washington

Thursday 9 A330
Dakar/Banjul
Abidjan/Cotonou
Accra/Lomé
Douala/Yaoundé
Kinshasa/Luanda
Entebbe/Kigali
New York
Washington
Montréal

Friday 8 A330
Dakar/Banjul
Abidjan/Accra
Douala/Yaoundé
Monrovia/Freetown
Entebbe/Kigali
Kinshasa
New York
Washington

Saturday 9 A330
Dakar/Banjul
Abidjan/Cotonou
Accra/Lomé
Douala/Yaoundé
Kinshasa
Entebbe/Kigali
New York
Washington
Montréal

Sunday 9 A330
Dakar/Banjul
Abidjan/Accra
Douala/Yaoundé
Monrovia/Freetown
Kinshasa/Luanda
Entebbe/Bujumbura
New York
Montréal
Washington

I'm certainly no expert in commercial aviation operations, but past experience shows that, if it's confirmed that there'll be 9 flights 4 days a week, there's no way it can be managed with 9 planes, even relatively newer ones.

[sn26567]

Brussels Airlines COO (Director of Operations) Edi Wolfensberger said at the press conference this morning that SN has and will have only 8 A330s. The CEO Peter Gerber did indeed say that SN would no longer fly for Eurowings after the end of May, but he didn't say what would happen to the A330s that SN flies for EW.

The COO also said that the medium-haul fleet had been reduced to 30 aircraft: 14 A319s and 16 A320s. The aim is to with to an all-A320 fleet, thus gradually abandoning the A319s.

[Matt]

Brussels Airlines COO (Director of Operations) Edi Wolfensberger said at the press conference this morning that SN has and will have only 8 A330s. The CEO Peter Gerber did indeed say that SN would no longer fly for Eurowings after the end of May, but he didn't say what would happen to the A330s that SN flies for EW.

The COO also said that the medium-haul fleet had been reduced to 30 aircraft: 14 A319s and 16 A320s. The aim is to with to an all-A320 fleet, thus gradually abandoning the A319s.

Those A330's are probably going back to LH I guess

[crew1990]

To me there are 3 possibilities.

First possibility: 2 A330 from the the Germany-ops remain in the fleet operating for Brussels Airlines. This is to me the best solution because the aircraft are already part of the fleet of Brussels Airlines and Lufthansa doesn't ned them for the S21 production. They could fly temporarily with their configuration and livery. The disadvantages are that as they are equipped with a MCR (crew bunk) there is less place in the cargo area. The other thing is the fact that galley's capacity are smaller too, so Brussels Airlines could only use them on routes without second service, DSS, BJL, ROB, FNA, ABJ, COO, LFW, ACC, DLA, and NSI only. They are also some variant in safety equipment, ex: in BRU we use Air Liquide (French) as protective breathing equipment while in DUS they use the Dräger (German), but SN BRU based crew were anyway qualified to fly on those aircrafts.

Second possibility: As Edelweiss is getting rid of their 2 A330-300, Brussels Airlines could take them, if I'm not mistaken, this is the same engines. But then they only have 3 month to make the aircrafts ready.

Third possibility: Network department and fleet department messed up and didn't realised yet that there is too much flight for the number or aircraft available and then flight would be cancelled.

[convair]

To me there are 3 possibilities.
Third possibility: Network department and fleet department messed up and didn't realised yet that there is too much flight for the number or aircraft available and then flight would be cancelled.

So, the flights planners didn't know how many aircraft they could use? Good Lord! We're in good shape!

[crew1990]

I didn't say it was the case, it's just a possibilities. I personally hope we will go back very soon to 10 wide-body A/C

[Matt]

I didn't say it was the case, it's just a possibilities. I hope I personally hope we will go back very soon to 10 wide-body A/C

Well, aside from the LH A330's there were leased, there are quite some A330's now available coming from defunct companies... some even quite new

One can hope