Belgian carriers SN Brussels Airlines and Virgin Express will fly as Brussels Airlines as of March 25, 2007, the merged company announced on Tuesday.

 

One of the company's airbuses complete with the new corporate logo landed at Zaventem Airport near Brussels on Monday night. The letter "S" on the plane's tail has been replaced by a series of red dots against a blue background, which form the letter "B." The letter "B" is intended to represent Brussels Airlines. The company's planes will be painted a light blue on the undercarriage while the rest will be white.

 

It is no coincidence that the announcement was made on Tuesday, as it was five years to the day since the former Belgian national airline Sabena filed for bankruptcy and ceased trading. SN Brussels Airlines was set up four months after Sabena went bankrupt.

 

The merger of SN Brussels Airlines with the low-cost operator Virgin Express raised questions as to what would the merged company's corporate strategy be.

 

Brussels Airlines has made it clear that the company not only wants to develop its flight network within Europe, but also intends to expand its network of long-distance flights.

 

"Brussels Airlines listened to what all its passengers want, both business and low cost, and has created two products that exactly meet their needs," said Neil Burrows, CEO of Brussels Airlines.

 

The two airlines decided to merge and stand a better chance of prospering in the cluttered European market.

 

Virgin and SN set up a joint holding company under the name SN Airholding, with SN holding a majority stake with 70.1 percent, and Virgin the remaining 29.9 percent.

 

SN has some 2,100 employers and Virgin 700. Last year, the two airlines transported a total of 5.2 million passengers.

 

(Xinhua News Agency November 8, 2006)