Brussels Airlines closed its 2025 books with an adjusted EBIT of €28 million—half the figure it posted a year earlier—even though the carrier carried a record 9.1 million passengers and lifted capacity by 11 %. The paradox illustrates how fragile airline margins remain in a year of labour unrest, supply-chain snags and conflict-driven cost spikes.
According to CEO Dorothea von Boxberg, the airline bled roughly €15 million to strike disruptions alone, none of which involved its own crews. External walk-outs at airports and air-navigation providers forced repeated schedule overhauls, wet-leasing and compensation payments. Geopolitical turbulence added another €4 per passenger in insurance, fuel and rerouting costs.
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![Strikes, Maintenance Costs Push Brussels Airlines Profit Down 50 % Despite Record Traffic]()
Maintenance weighed heavily, too. Extended downtime for ageing A330s meant extra leasing bills and reduced aircraft utilisation. Management insists that fleet renewal—already budgeted for 2027—is now “mission-critical,” but admits current cash flow will not support large capital outlays without improving margins to at least 8 %.
The immediate outlook is hardly rosy. Another nationwide strike is planned for 12 March, when both Brussels airports have announced a total shutdown of departures. Mobility planners for multinational firms face the double challenge of rescheduling staff and anticipating further knock-on effects in the days that follow.
Still, Brussels Airlines points to some green shoots: passenger revenue climbed 7 % to €1.6 billion, and load factors remained above 80 %. For travel-policy owners, the message is mixed: Belgium’s flag carrier remains a reliable capacity provider but will likely push through higher fares and ancillary fees to rebuild its balance sheet in 2026.
According to CEO Dorothea von Boxberg, the airline bled roughly €15 million to strike disruptions alone, none of which involved its own crews. External walk-outs at airports and air-navigation providers forced repeated schedule overhauls, wet-leasing and compensation payments. Geopolitical turbulence added another €4 per passenger in insurance, fuel and rerouting costs.
For companies needing to keep staff mobile despite such volatility, VisaHQ’s Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) provides a streamlined way to secure Schengen visas and other travel documents. The platform simplifies paperwork, speeds up processing and frees corporate travel teams to focus on rebooking flights instead of chasing consulate appointments.
Maintenance weighed heavily, too. Extended downtime for ageing A330s meant extra leasing bills and reduced aircraft utilisation. Management insists that fleet renewal—already budgeted for 2027—is now “mission-critical,” but admits current cash flow will not support large capital outlays without improving margins to at least 8 %.
The immediate outlook is hardly rosy. Another nationwide strike is planned for 12 March, when both Brussels airports have announced a total shutdown of departures. Mobility planners for multinational firms face the double challenge of rescheduling staff and anticipating further knock-on effects in the days that follow.
Still, Brussels Airlines points to some green shoots: passenger revenue climbed 7 % to €1.6 billion, and load factors remained above 80 %. For travel-policy owners, the message is mixed: Belgium’s flag carrier remains a reliable capacity provider but will likely push through higher fares and ancillary fees to rebuild its balance sheet in 2026.
