Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017 — Today, Brussels Airlines is 15 years old. Since 2002, more than 78.8 million people have taken a flight with Brussels Airlines. Connect Belgium to the rest of the world, be an airline that knows what customers want, and create jobs and growth that will last. In 2002, these were the most important parts of the business plan, and they still are. If you are looking for Brussels Cheap flights Tickets, you can book these cheap tickets on that special event from our website in the section of online booking.

Feb. 15, 2002. The news on TV is mostly about what happened after 9/11, the new euro, and the start of SN Brussels Airlines. At 6:15 a.m. on that cold February morning, the first flight leaves Brussels Airport. It's SN2711 to Geneva, and it's run by an Avro jet. Forty people who own shares in SN Airholding come together to start SN Brussels Airlines.

On that day, almost 1,400 people are getting paid. They were all very eager to make the new airline a long-term success. The network has 32 regional jets that fly to 29 different places in Europe. Africa is added to the network just a few months after that.

Feb. 15, 2017. After 15 years, Brussels Airlines has grown into an airline that flies from Brussels Airport to 73 destinations in Europe and 21 destinations outside of Europe. Brussels Airlines became known all over the world as the expert on Africa. The fleet grew to include 45 short/medium-haul and 10 long-haul planes, and the number of direct jobs rose to 3,500. Indirectly, the activities will lead to the creation of about 11,000 more jobs. As a member of Star Alliance, Brussels Airlines works with dozens of other airlines from Brussels Airport, which is its main hub.

In those 15 years, Brussels Airlines welcomed 78.8 million people on board its flights. They flew to Europe 69 million times, to Africa 8.1 million times, and across the Atlantic more than 1 million times. There were 320,000 tonnes of airfreight in the long haul belly space.

Brussels Airlines has always put the customer first when making investments. Since the first airline, a lot has changed for the passenger. Everyone who flew in Business or Economy Class 15 years ago had a paper ticket. You could only check in for a flight at the check-in desk. Today, everyone travels with electronic tickets, and passengers on European flights can choose from 4 different travel classes and 3 on long-haul flights. More than half of their passengers now check in online, either on their phone or at the airport with a self-check-in machine. Brussels Airlines put a lot of money into its airport lounges and worked hard to make flying with them much cheaper. In 2002, the cheapest economy round-trip ticket cost €160. Today, you can get a ticket on Brussels Airlines for as little as €69.

Since the market and the way people travel have changed a lot over the years, Brussels Airlines went from being a traditional airline with Business Class and Economy Class to a hybrid airline with travel products that appeal to both people who want to save money and people who want great service. A very clear Belgian positioning helped to back up the new business strategy. Some examples of this "Made in Belgium" approach are the collaborations with Belgian chefs, chocolatiers, and breweries to promote local Belgian products and the special Magritte, Tintin, and Red Devils planes.

To connect Belgium and Brussels Airport to the rest of the world, to ensure jobs, and to create a business model that makes money. "Those were the goals our founders gave us," says Bernard Gustin, CEO of Brussels Airlines. At the time, Gustin worked as a consultant on the company's first business plan. "These are still our goals to this day. Year after year, we've grown the business in a way that's sustainable and added more jobs. So, I'd like to thank all of our customers, whose number is growing all the time, for choosing Brussels Airlines. Also, a big thank you to all of our hardworking employees and partners who help write the story of Brussels Airlines with us every day.

Lufthansa became an owner in 2009. On the day before Brussels Airlines' 15th anniversary, the Lufthansa Group decided to buy all of its shares. "Brussels Airlines has now reached the age of a young adult who moves with the times and is full of ideas but has already made clear choices for the future "Bernard Gustin says so. "For the future, we are working with the Lufthansa Group to make our network in Africa even bigger and to connect the capitals of Europe even better. In this way, I'm happy that we will soon spread our wings even more and add more destinations. After growing in Africa and North America, we are now growing in the East with the opening of Mumbai, India.

Brussels Airlines made a sequel to its famous video "It's a Boy" for its 15th anniversary. All of the actors were again people who worked for Brussels Airlines, including the original Mr. Smith, who was also in the first movie. The running scenes with 90 extras from Brussels Airlines were used to promote the slogan "We Go the Extra Smile."