A Belgian trade union threatened on Tuesday to disrupt the Brussels-Tel Aviv route of Lufthansa’s Brussels Airlines, unless it is discontinued.
The union, ACV Puls, cited “safety and ethical concerns,” referencing Israel’s fight against Hamas in Gaza.
“Serious concerns exist among the staff regarding both physical safety and the mental and ethical impact of these flights,” ACV Plus spokesperson Jolinde Defieuw is quoted as saying in an article about the threat on the union’s website. “Yet Brussels Airlines refuses to give employees the option to decline such assignments. That is particularly serious in the context of the ongoing war and the genocide in Gaza.”
Israel, the U.S. and other nations have rejected allegations that Israel is involved in a genocide in Gaza.
Nico Cardone, senior media relations manager at Brussels Airlines, told JNS on Wednesday, “Our flight today has departed without problems; we anticipate that all our other flights will also operate as planned. At this moment, we remain staffing our flights to Tel Aviv the same way as all the other flights in our schedule.
“I cannot speak on behalf of Lufthansa Group, only on behalf of Brussels Airlines. We’re an airline, not a political party. When we consider starting flights to a destination, we need to know whether it’s safe to fly, and whether there’s demand for the route. We do not engage in discussions about politics of the leadership of a destination,” he added.
Belgium’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises against nonessential travel to Israel. Brussels Airlines told ACV Puls that “the situation is sufficiently safe to resume flights” to Israel, which the company had halted during Israel’s war with Iran, but resumed last month. Any disruptions would apply only to the Tel Aviv line, ACV Puls said.
Brussels Airlines is owned by Germany’s Lufthansa Group. Germany’s government has rejected attempt to boycott Israel. Belgium’s government adopted recently measures that single out Israel. The Jewish state is the only country subject in Belgium to a product ban, which applies to Israel-made products from Judea and Samaria.
