Air Belgium in 2023

[Atlantis]

Meanwhile they're looking for more Chinese money (Sichuan): https://flightlevel.be/64956/air-belgiu ... esteerder/

Both fly already on the same cargo destination. Only the stopover is different

[Passenger]

20.000 confirmed bookings will be cancelled. Most of them from individuals, thus already fully paid. Some allotments from touroperators, not paid yet. My estimate of what needs to be refunded: between 7M and 12M.

Air Belgium said: “…paid tickets will be reimbursed as a priority in the scope of the judicial reorganisation proceedings…” This is not true. The refund of tickets is an obligation by European legislation (EU-Rule 261/2004). A Belgian court cannot wave a European Rule. And 261/2004 states: “to be refunded within 7 days after notification”.

Actually, passengers are entitled to more. When a flight is cancelled, passengers have the right to choose between a full refund or a rerouting. When passengers have a confirmed booking for 22th December to Cape Town, their new ticket will cost a lot more. So their best option is to choose a rerouting.

In a Resolution from 2014 (A7-0020/2014), the European Parliament states about this rerouting: quote: "Where a passenger has taken up the choice of rerouting at the earliest possibility, the air carrier often makes the rerouting conditional upon the availability of seats on its own services, thereby denying their passengers the option of being rerouted more quickly by alternative services. It should be established that after a certain period of time has elapsed, the carrier should offer rerouting on another carrier's services or on other transport modes where this can speed up rerouting. Alternative rerouting should be dependent upon the availability of seats." (end of quote).

Air Belgium and its shareholders, including national and regional authorities, have used client deposits to fund their operations. Passengers are therefore entitled to respect by the SRIW and the SFPI/FPIM.

[Lux_avi]

High time to review/reform this catastrophic EU261 regulation.

[fcw]

Air Belgium said: “…paid tickets will be reimbursed as a priority in the scope of the judicial reorganisation proceedings…” This is not true. The refund of tickets is an obligation by European legislation (EU-Rule 261/2004). A Belgian court cannot wave a European Rule. And 261/2004 states: “to be refunded within 7 days after notification”.

Whilst your statement, regarding EU261, is absolutely correct, I think you drew the wrong conclusions.
IMHO KF is clearly trying to influence the court here. I read it as: If the court agrees with the reorganisation KF will fulfil their EU261 obligations, whilst if the court declares KF bankrupt passengers won’t be reimbursed and will have to claim via their credit card issuer or travel agency.

[Darjeeling]

Charelroi Airport begins to understand...

[Passenger]

"...According to the news website L-Post, a new investor has made a firm offer to inject a maximum of 14.4 million euros into the airline to acquire a 49% stake. However, the offer is subject to the approval of a new common strategy and the competent authorities..."
https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/air- ... -investor/

I hope for Air Belgium that the actual shareholders also will 'invest' new money into their company. Because 14,4M is way too little to rescue a company with a cumulated loss of 91,6M (31/12/2022) and own assetts minus 41M (31/12/2022).

[Passenger]

The number of to-be-refunded passengers has been reduced from 20.000 to 11.000:

HLN.be: "...In eerste instantie had Air Belgium gezegd dat zowat 20.000 reizigers al geboekt hadden voor een vlucht na 3 oktober. Maar nu spreekt de maatschappij van 11.000 passagiers. Er waren eerst prereservaties meegerekend, voornamelijk van groepen en voor de zomer van 2024, maar daarvoor werden nog geen tickets uitgegeven of betaald, klinkt het. Air Belgium verwacht dat het aantal betrokken reizigers nog kan dalen..."

Google.translate: "...Air Belgium had initially said that around 20,000 travelers had already booked flights after October 3. But now the company is talking about 11,000 passengers. Pre-reservations were initially included, mainly from groups and for the summer of 2024, but no tickets have been issued or paid for yet, it sounds. Air Belgium expects that the number of travelers involved could still decrease..."

https://www.hln.be/reizen/zowat-11-000- ... ~aec25cfa/

[convair]

Air Belgium plane OO-LAC is now flying from Paris to Dakar with flight number SZN404.
Does someone have details about these flghts?

Edit: apparently these are Air Senegal flight numbers equivalent to HC404.

[Miqvell]

Does someone have details about these flghts?

Leasing to Air Senegal

[Lux_avi]

I hope it's readable:

The title is wrong: Air Belgium doesn't scrap ALL passenger flights, it scraps only SCHEDULED passenger flights. ACMI flights can also involve passengers. And most of the Belgian press, either Flemish or French, makes the same mistake.

https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/tui- ... -december/
"TUIfly cancels all flights from Belgium and The Netherlands to Israel until the end of December"

And in the article...

However, flights between Antwerp and Tel Aviv, which were initially scheduled to start on December 14, remain undecided, according to the airline

The title is wrong, I guess?

This is off topic I'm aware, but you locked the dedicated topic for it! Sorry.

[sdbelgium]

A332F OO-SEA has been returned to the lessor (AFG) in CHR.

[HQ_BRU_Lover]

And other 330's are parked at BRU (some at Lufthansa technik, one not too far of 01/25L junction) awaiting better times as well

[JOVAN2]

According Aeroroutes Air Belgium continues a daily flight for British Airways to CHICAGO..
Until 14 November2023.
Before they flew several months for BA to ORD. On a cdaily base.

[Established02]

Looks like Air Belgium is operating again for DHL with a daily 330 to CVG as KF277/278. Their MXP flights are possibly for DHL as well.

[sn26567]

Air Belgium just mentioned on LinkedIn that they have completed a series of rotations with an A330ceo on behalf of one of its client airlines, Corsair, from Paris to Abidjan.

The aircraft involved was OE-LAC, operating flights SS984/985 between ORY and ABJ, from 18 November to 1 December.

[DannyVDB]

Hi André,

When travelling through Frankfurt on Monday I also saw an AB A330 leaving the gate and starting its journey. Not sure for whom that was.

Cheers,
Danny

[Miqvell]

Hi André,

When travelling through Frankfurt on Monday I also saw an AB A330 leaving the gate and starting its journey. Not sure for whom that was.

Cheers,
Danny

Condor

[JOVAN2]

Hi André,

When travelling through Frankfurt on Monday I also saw an AB A330 leaving the gate and starting its journey. Not sure for whom that was.

Cheers,
Danny

Condor

To punta Cana

[Atlantis]

Air Belgium is again looking for flight and cabin crew. Announced today on LinkedIn.

They are close to this 4 months they had to make an order. Maybe they found a new shareholder?