Brussels Airlines workers threaten strike over flights to Israel, union cites ethical objections

Brussels Airlines workers could strike over flights to Tel Aviv after their union accused the airline of abandoning an agreement to use volunteers for the route.

ACV Puls, Belgium’s largest trade union, said staff with “safety or conscientious objections” should be allowed to refuse the flights. The union said the airline had begun assigning workers to the route because it could not find enough volunteers.

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Serious concerns exist among the staff regarding both physical safety and the mental and ethical impact of these flights.

The airline resumed Tel Aviv flights on August 3 after a five-month suspension linked to the US-Israeli war in Iran. Its first flights operated with volunteers. Brussels Airlines now runs three flights a week to Tel Aviv.

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Safety is our highest priority, whether we operate with volunteers or not.

“Serious concerns exist among the staff regarding both physical safety and the mental and ethical impact of these flights,” union spokesperson Jolinde Defieuw said. She called mandatory staffing “particularly serious in the context of the ongoing war and the genocide in Gaza.”

The union cited Belgium’s Foreign Ministry advice against “all non-essential travel to Israel and Jerusalem.” Brussels Airlines spokesperson Nico Cardone said safety was the company’s “highest priority, whether we operate with volunteers or not.” He said the airline was “not a political party” and did not engage in political debates about destination governments. Cardone added that the company intended to return to regular crew scheduling over time.

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We are not a political party.