Brussels Airlines reported a wider adjusted operating loss in the first six months of the year and said it would no longer add two Airbus A330 aircraft to its fleet in 2027 as it responds to weaker-than-expected financial results and an uncertain outlook.
The Belgian carrier posted an adjusted operating loss of €70 million ($81 million) for the first half of the year, up 50% from the same period a year earlier.
Brussels Airlines said the deterioration reflected a combination of external factors, including higher fuel prices, an Ebola outbreak in East Africa and strikes by external parties.
Despite the larger loss, traffic and revenue increased during the period. The airline carried 4.5 million passengers on 34,200 flights, increases of 8% and 5.5% respectively compared with the first half of last year. Revenue rose 9% to €821 million.
Fuel costs increased by €64 million from a year earlier, which the airline attributed mainly to the war in the Middle East and its effect on oil prices.
“We have weathered storms before, but the summer is now crucial if we are still to deliver positive results by the end of the year,” Chief Financial Officer Nina Öwerdieck said in a statement.
Öwerdieck said Brussels Airlines is operating more flights than last year and could achieve stronger results if operations continue without major disruption during the peak summer season.
The airline said it is taking a cautious approach because financial performance has fallen short of expectations, while repeated strikes in Belgium and geopolitical uncertainty continue to weigh on its outlook.
As a result, Brussels Airlines said it has decided not to proceed with plans to add two Airbus A330 aircraft in 2027, reversing an earlier fleet expansion proposal.
