On March 6, 2025, Brussels Airlines, part of the Lufthansa Group of carriers, reported its financial results for 2024. The Brussels-based company ended the year by reporting an operating profit of €59 million ($65 million). This figure represents an improvement of 11% over the figure reported for 2023, which came in at €53 million ($58.3 million). Reliable operations, mainly on the short and medium-haul network, as well as an increase in long-haul seat capacity, allowed Brussels Airlines to improve its profitability in 2024 to this new record level, said the company.
Reporting the latest figures, the airline said in a statement of its 2024 performance, “Despite a challenging start of the year with results falling short of initial projections, the airline demonstrated the effectiveness of its strategy. When operations proceed as planned, the financial performance consistently delivers satisfactory results.”
Brussels Airlines operated 2% fewer flights in 2024 than in 2023. In 2024, the airline operated 61,564 flights versus the 62,949 operated in 2023. However, despite this, passenger numbers rose year-on-year, with 8.36 million travelers choosing the airline in 2024 versus 8.29 million the year before. Total seat capacity (measured in available seat kilometers or ASKs) increased by 1% from 18.1 million to 18.3 million in 2024. Revenue seat kilometers also rose from 14.9 million in 2023 to 15.1 million in 2024.
The 2024 network load factor figure remained largely consistent with that seen in 2023, albeit with a slight overall increase of 0.2% from 82.5 to 82.7%. The average number of full-time employees working at Brussels Airlines in 2024 stood at 3,549 versus 3,366 the year before.
While the airline was unable to secure a wet-lease partner to expand capacity on its European network during the summer season of 2024 to meet rising demand amid a shortage of capacity, it did add an additional long-haul aircraft in the form of an Airbus 330 to its fleet, which boosted capacity on the carrier’s intercontinental network.
Throughout 2024, the Belgian carrier was one of the most reliable airlines in Europe. Brussels Airlines ranks as the fourth most punctual network operator in Europe according to Cirium, the aviation data analysis company. American consumer platform Airhelp even named Brussels Airlines as its ‘Best Airline’ globally for its balance between on-time performance, claim processing, and overall customer experience.
“We faced numerous challenges, particularly in the first half of the year, which prevented us from operating as planned,” said Nina Öwerdieck, Chief Financial Officer of Brussels Airlines. “However, the second half of 2024 was highly successful. Also, in 2025, demand remains strong, and we have ambitious growth plans for this year. We create more opportunities to connect people, cultures and economies, and we create more jobs, with this year a new colleague joining our team almost every single day.”
Growth coming in 2025
In December 2024, Brussels Airlines unveiled plans for its long-haul network for the northern summer of 2025. The peak 2025 season will see the Belgian national carrier offer more capacity to sub-Saharan Africa than at any time in its history, even before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The carrier will operate 56 weekly flights to the sub-Saharan region, a figure that represents an increase of 10% over the same period in 2024. The arrival of a further Airbus A330 widebody aircraft in June 2025 will facilitate this growth, while the airline will also continue to maintain regular services on its North American network to both New York-JFK Airport (JFK) and Washington-Dulles Airport (IAD).
According to ch-aviation, the carrier’s current all-Airbus fleet comprises 45 aircraft, including 14 A319s, 16 A320s, five A320neos, and 10 A330-300s, with the 11th due in the summer of 2025. In the coming years, Brussels Airlines plans to grow its long-haul fleet to 13 aircraft with the addition of two extra airframes. By 2027, the Belgian airline also aims to introduce brand-new cabin interiors, featuring new business class, premium economy, and economy class offerings.
