As the European Union has not yet announced a decision about the reopening of its external borders, Brussels Airlines has pushed back the resumption of its long-haul flights to August.
"Due to the continuing travel restrictions, and the fact that we do not yet have authorisations to go to most countries, we are forced to postpone our commercial flights to Africa and America until August," Wencke Lemmes, a spokesperson for Brussels Airlines, told The Brussels Times.
The airline's initial plan was to restart long-distance flights on 22 June, first to Africa, and then also to America.
On 18 June, Brussels Airlines was still hoping to resume flights outside the Schengen zone in July, as it said that Belgians were definitely not afraid to fly.
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"However, as travel restrictions are still in force, and we have not yet received authorisation, we had to slow it down until August," Lemmes added. However, that planned restart is also subject to the approval of the local authorities.
"Additionally, our passengers also need to be able to plan their journeys, of course," Lemmes said, adding that logistical reasons played a large role in the decision, and that it is "a very big challenge" to plan flights in such a short period of time.
"It is important that we know as early as possible which countries will reopen their borders and when," she said.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
