One of the major unions of Brussels Airlines, ACV Puls, has warned the airline of a possible strike for requiring pilots and cabin crew to operate the route reopened this summer to Tel Aviv, despite the fact that the company had agreed with the staff that this connection would be covered only by volunteer personnel.
After some initial flights carried out by volunteers during the summer within a trial period, management now considers that the necessary conditions are met to schedule the routes normally and safely, following its usual procedures for routes that take off or land at Ben Gurion International Airport.
However, the union argues that the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises against non-essential travel to Israel and emphasizes that it will defend workers who refuse to fly to a "war zone," which is why it has submitted a "notice of strike" effective from this September 1.
In statements to the Belgian press, a spokesperson for ACV Puls has pointed out that "there is great concern among the staff regarding physical safety and the psychological and ethical impact of these flights," and has further specified that the pressure measures they will undertake if Brussels Airlines does not change its position "will be limited exclusively to flights with origin or destination in Tel Aviv."
The company, on the other hand, has responded in a statement sent to Belgian media this Tuesday that operations were successfully resumed in the summer thanks to the use of volunteer personnel, so it considers that it can now "resume the usual procedure for the preparation of flight schedules." Thus, Brussels Airlines states that, along with the other airlines of the Lufthansa Group, it will continue "to closely monitor the situation on the ground" in order to "adjust" its procedures at all times if necessary.