Can Brussels Airlines crews still refuse Tel Aviv flights?

Brussels Airlines told Belgian unions on Thursday, 3 September, that pilots and cabin crew who do not feel psychologically fit may refuse flights between Brussels Airport and Tel Aviv without fear of repercussions. The clarification followed talks over ACV Puls’s strike notice and came after another Tel Aviv service departed from Zaventem on Thursday, according to BRUZZ and the Italian news agency ANSA.

The immediate dispute is therefore narrower than the original threat suggested, but it is not conclusively over. Brussels Airlines continues to place the route in its ordinary crew schedules rather than seeking volunteers in advance. Staff members may invoke the established aviation procedure known as “unfit to fly”, the company says. ACV Puls had not publicly responded to that formula when BRUZZ reported the outcome, and it remained unclear whether the Christian union would withdraw its strike notice.

That distinction matters to Brussels-based passengers and employees. A voluntary roster excludes reluctant crew before duties are assigned; an individual fitness declaration requires a worker to object after being scheduled. The practical question is whether personnel regard that safeguard as genuinely pressure-free. There is no announced strike date and no evidence that the wider Brussels Airlines network faces disruption, although travellers on the Brussels–Tel Aviv connection should continue checking their bookings.

The disagreement began when the Lufthansa Group carrier moved Tel Aviv flights into normal rosters from 1 September. Brussels Airlines had restarted the connection several weeks earlier using volunteers and qualified management personnel. The company said the initial operations had been completed successfully and that standard planning could therefore resume. Spokesperson Nico Cardone said management had listened to the safety concerns and emphasised that the situation would continue to be monitored.

ACV Puls presented a different picture. The union said the airline was departing from an earlier understanding that only volunteers would operate the route. Jolinde Defieuw of ACV Puls told BRUZZ that some crew assigned to Wednesday’s flight were unwilling to go but feared sanctions if they refused. The airline disputed the procedural basis of the strike notice and said personnel had been informed of the roster change weeks earlier; the union maintained that workers retain the right to take action.

The safety debate cannot be reduced to whether Ben Gurion Airport is open. Belgium’s Foreign Affairs ministry, in advice last updated on 1 July, discourages all non-essential travel to Israel and Jerusalem because of the volatile regional situation. That advice is non-binding and aimed at travellers, rather than an order to airlines or employers. It nevertheless underpins the union’s argument that Tel Aviv should not be treated as an entirely routine workplace destination.

The EU aviation assessment is more differentiated. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency allowed its broad Middle East conflict-zone bulletin to expire in July after a reduction in short-term tensions, but retained targeted warnings. On 31 August, EASA issued an active information note covering all Israeli airspace and advised operators to incorporate the remaining risk into their own assessments and routing decisions. In other words, the EU framework does not prohibit the route; it places responsibility on airlines and national authorities to evaluate an evolving threat.

This exposes the deeper issue behind the Belgian labour conflict: official travel advice, aviation risk assessments and an employer’s duty of care answer related but different questions. Brussels Airlines argues that continuous security monitoring permits operations. ACV Puls argues that residual physical, psychological and ethical concerns justify individual choice. No public intervention by the Belgian federal government was identified in the reporting reviewed, despite the union’s call for clarity on commercial flights to conflict areas.

The next test will be practical rather than rhetorical. Unions will watch whether employees can declare themselves unfit without disciplinary or financial consequences, while the airline will assess whether enough crew remain available to operate the schedule. Passengers should monitor direct notifications from Brussels Airlines. The central unknown is whether Thursday’s assurance is sufficient for ACV Puls to lift its strike notice or merely postpones further action.