Brussels Airlines has closed an agreement this Thursday with its pilots and cabin crew whereby the company accepts that the crew may refuse to operate flights with origin or destination in Tel Aviv, after the unions warned of possible strikes if management insisted on imposing these services.
A spokesperson for the airline has indicated to the Belgian agency that the company has informed its workers that they may avail themselves of the "not fit to fly" procedure, intended for those who consider that they are not psychologically prepared to carry out a flight, in order not to participate in this route and "without fear of reprisals."
The understanding was reached this Thursday, after the warning issued on Tuesday by one of the main unions of Brussels Airlines staff, ACV Puls, which threatened to call a strike if the company forced the route reopened this summer to be covered, despite the fact that it had initially been agreed that the connection would be operated only with voluntary staff.
After the first test flights this summer were carried out with voluntary crews, the company now considers that the necessary conditions exist to operate safely within its ordinary procedures the flights departing or arriving at Ben Gurion International Airport.
However, the union maintains that the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises against non-essential travel to Israel and emphasizes that it will defend the rights of those who do not wish to fly to a "war zone," which is why it registered on Tuesday a "strike notice" effective from this September 1.
In statements to the Belgian press, a spokesperson for ACV Puls pointed out on Tuesday that "there is great concern among the staff regarding physical safety and the psychological and ethical impact of these flights," and further specified that any potential union actions if Brussels Airlines did not rectify "would be limited exclusively to flights with origin or destination in Tel Aviv."
The airline responded in a statement sent to the Belgian media that the resumption of operations during the summer with voluntary staff was successfully carried out, so it can now "resume the usual procedure for the preparation of flight schedules."
Thus, Brussels Airlines claims that, along with the rest of the companies in the Lufthansa Group, it will continue to "closely monitor the situation on the ground" with the aim of being able to "adjust" its procedures at any time if necessary.