Two weeks after reaching an agreement with its flight attendants, Brussels Airlines shook hands with its pilots, averting a three-day strike.
Brussels Airlines has announced that a planned three-day union strike has been canceled after it struck a deal with its pilots and cabin crew. The airline’s flight attendants first confirmed the agreement, with the carrier’s pilots following suit two weeks later.
New agreement focused on remuneration
The carrier’s announcement outlined that on March 24, 2024, it agreed to a new deal with its pilots, which was signed on the same day. Brussels Airlines highlighted that during the pandemic, its staff “had to make sacrifices” in order to save the company.
Brussels Airlines has announced that a planned three-day union strike has been canceled after it struck a deal with its pilots and cabin crew. The airline’s flight attendants first confirmed the agreement, with the carrier’s pilots following suit two weeks later.
New agreement focused on remuneration
The carrier’s announcement outlined that on March 24, 2024, it agreed to a new deal with its pilots, which was signed on the same day. Brussels Airlines highlighted that during the pandemic, its staff “had to make sacrifices” in order to save the company.
Returning to profitability
When the Lufthansa Group announced its financial results in early March, the airline group said that all of its carriers, including Brussels Airlines, were profitable for the first time ever. The Brussels Airport (BRU)-based airline’s last profit was in 2019.
Detailing the Belgian carrier’s results, the report indicated that Brussels Airlines earned €1.5 billion ($1.6 billion) of revenue, with a total of €1.6 billion ($1.7 billion) of operating income in 2023. While the report did not state whether the airline earned a net profit, its earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) was €53 million ($57.3 million), a reversal from last year’s negative EBIT of €75 million ($81.1 million).
Continuous strikes
While Brussels Airlines had managed to avert a massive three-day strike by its pilots and cabin crew members, the Lufthansa Group has been facing union action over the past few months.
As reported by Deutsche Welle (DW), citing an internal memo by its chief financial officer (CFO) Remco Steenbergen, the Germany-based airline Lufthansa has already lost around €250 million ($270.5 million) following several strikes by its employees, as well as security staff at German airports.
When the German airline was forced to cancel over 80% of its flights in early March, Michael Niggemann, the Chief Human Resources Officer and Labour Director at Lufthansa, remarked that the union, representing its ground handling staff, was deliberately escalating the dispute between the airline and its staff.
Source Simple Flying
