Air Belgium continues cargo activities under the name Air One Belgium

The Nivelles company court had approved the takeover of the airline, which was in financial difficulties, last week. CEO Terzakis does not say when the name change will take place, but rather speaks of an “evolution”.

197 out of 401 employees

PESO Aviation Management and the British Air One Holding International will only take over the cargo branch of Air Belgium. This means that 197 of the 401 employees, including the pilots on an independent basis, remain on board. There is no longer room in the project for the 204 others in the “short term”. The majority of the pilots work for Air Belgium as self-employed. The headquarters of the new entity will remain in Mont-Saint-Guibert in Walloon Brabant.

“The bidder has purchased the ‘Air Belgium’ brand,” Terzakis explains. According to him, they want to preserve the DNA of the airline by taking over all the cargo personnel involved. “Nothing will change, even if it will only be with cargo.”

Air One Belgium would officially see the light of day at the end of March or beginning of April with the acquisition of the so-called AOC or ‘air operator’s certificate’ from Air Belgium. The Directorate General of Aviation of the Federal Public Service Mobility must give the green light by then. After various checks, they must grant the license to the new company.

The new company will operate from Brussels Airport. The focus is initially on Zaventem airport, it sounds. The airline will have its current fleet of four cargo aircraft. Two more large aircraft should be added during the second half of 2025, for which the search for pilots has now started. Additional deliveries are expected during 2026, Terzakis said.

Economic unemployment

The 200 or so employees, for example cabin crew, who will not make the transition are currently in economic unemployment, and will remain so for the foreseeable future. Some have already left themselves. There is currently no social plan, according to Terzakis. “We don’t know yet what the future will bring them. It’s too early for that.” He also suggests the option of again operating passenger flights for other companies through a leasing agreement.

At the end of September, a judicial reorganization procedure ended at Air Belgium. This has given the company protection against creditors since September 2023. All passenger flights to South Africa and Mauritius were then stopped because those operations were “chronically loss-making”.