Start-Ups Air Belgium scraps wet-lease plans for short-haul ops

Air Belgium CEO Niky Terzakis said in the report, that the carrier will not acquire own narrowbody aircraft for operating short-haul services. But the airline is likely to rely on its network of partners for possible short-haul operations.

"We are not aiming at directly operating a short-haul network of our own. We will privilege partnerships and commercial arrangements with reputable short-haul airlines. For some specific routes, we may be wet-leasing some short-haul, single-aisle aircraft," said Terzakis.

Air Belgium plans to commence operations in March 2018. First services will be performed on the route from Brussels-Charleroi to Hong Kong-Chek Lap Kok. Airbus A340-300 will operate the flights.

The carrier still awaits the confirmation for its air operator´s certificate (AOC). However, according to the report, Air Belgium is already planning to expand: "We will be serving six other destinations on the Chinese mainland as of May 2018," said Terzakis.

In 2020, the airline wants to undergo further growth. The airline has already started negotiating with Airbus over possible orders for the A330-900neo or Airbus A350 programme.

Air Belgium is headquartered in Mont-Saint-Guibert and is based at Brussels South Charleroi Airport. Currently, the fleet consists of two Airbus A340-300, received recently. The airline´s plan is to serve preferably the Asian market from Belgium. Furthermore, the airline plans to start operations to North and South America.