Brussels Airlines: Safety remains top priority for Tel Aviv operations - EXCLUSIVE
Brussels Airlines has returned its Tel Aviv flights to standard crew rostering procedures after successfully relaunching the route during the summer.
This was said by the source from the Brussels Airlines, in an exclusive interview with CE Report.
During the first weeks of the resumed operations, flights to Tel Aviv were operated by volunteers, but the airline said the successful relaunch has allowed it to return to its normal rostering procedures.
The airline stressed that safety and security remain its highest priorities and said an extensive analysis was conducted before flights to Tel Aviv were resumed. According to Brussels Airlines, the assessment was aimed at determining whether it was responsible and safe to restart operations to the Israeli destination.
The airline said that if the assessment had concluded that operating flights to Tel Aviv was unsafe, it would not have resumed the route, including with volunteer crew members.
Brussels Airlines is part of the Lufthansa Group, several airlines within which resumed flights to Tel Aviv in June. Brussels Airlines followed in August, and the airline said all operations since the restart have proceeded without problems. As a result, Tel Aviv flights can now be scheduled as regular operations for the airline's entire flight crew.
Brussels Airlines said both its own departments and those within the Lufthansa Group continuously assess the safety of destinations and airspace. The airline also highlighted a distinction between general travel advice and an operational safety assessment. While travel advice addresses whether individuals should travel to a particular destination for leisure or other personal reasons, the airline's assessment focuses specifically on whether it is safe to operate flights there.
The airline said employees are encouraged to raise any safety concerns with their team leaders or directly with the safety department. It has also published an extensive internal Q&A addressing safety concerns related to the resumption of Tel Aviv operations.
Regarding conscientious objections, Brussels Airlines said that its decisions on operating particular routes are based on two main considerations: whether the destination is safe to operate and whether there is sufficient demand. The airline emphasized that it is an airline rather than a political organization and said it does not take other considerations into account when deciding whether to launch or resume flights.
Brussels Airlines said it expects its employees to approach such decisions in the same way, while continuing to monitor developments in the region closely and remaining prepared to adapt its procedures immediately if the security situation requires it.
Photo: Instagram/flyingbrussels
