Brussels Airlines is the smallest full-service carrier within the Lufthansa Group. The airline’s fleet is optimized to sub-Saharan African routes and feeder routes across Europe. And here is how its fleet is structured.
In this post:
- Brussels Airlines: A 57 Aircraft Operation
- Renovating only the narrow-body fleet.
- The A330-300, the long-haul workhorse.
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Brussels Airlines: A 57 Aircraft Operation
| Manufacturer | Type | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Airbus | A319-100 | 13 |
| Airbus | A320neo | 7 |
| Airbus | A320-200 | 16 |
| Airbus | A330-300 | 11 |
The Brussels Airlines fleet as of 2026 consists of only 57 aircraft. That makes it the smallest full-service carrier within the Lufthansa group. Its role, however, is rather strategic, as it does serve many destinations in sub-Saharan Africa.
Most of its fleet is made up of narrow-body aircraft, and all of the aircraft operated by Brussels Airlines are Airbus metal.
A renovation only happening on the narrow-body fleet
What stands out, looking at the breakdown of the aircraft that Brussels Airlines currently operates, is the lack of new-generation planes. There are only seven NEO option planes in the fleet, and those are all within the narrow-body fleet.
That is, in fact, the division where Brussels Airlines is concentrating most of its fleet renovation. It is replacing its older A319 and A320ceo with new A320neo aircraft.
These new generation planes allow the airline to operate with higher operating margins on each sector, on the shorter, more frequent feeder routes that the airline operates between Brussels International Airport and other European destinations.
Preferring used or leased planes on the long-haul fleet
Where Brussels Airlines is taking a different approach is on its long-haul fleet, where instead of taking on brand new planes (as it is with its A320neo), it is preferring to take on older used planes coming from other Lufthansa Group airlines.
The Lufthansa Group, instead of going for brand new planes for Brussels Airlines, has decided to transfer older aircraft over to Brussels Airlines, taking on a lower initial cost for the airline rather than a high initial cost with more efficiency.
That probably is due to the type of route that Brussels Airlines operates. The Belgian carrier does not operate ULR sectors. Most of its long-haul sectors are between seven and eight hours in operations, which are still perfectly fine to be operated by an A330-300.
It also shows that Brussels Airlines is not a front runner for the Lufthansa group while still remaining a strategic asset.
Brussels Airlines also risks being pushed further down the pecking order in the Lufthansa group with ITA Airways now in the mix. ITA Airways potentially can also eat some of Brussels Airlines’ lunch as it will also become a pivotal airline for African routes.
Not a Premium Heavy Airline – More Seats Over Premium Seats
The airline’s priorities are clear also when looking at how it sets up its aircraft interiors.
Cabin interiors aren’t the newest versions available on the market and the setup is fairly skewed towards having more seats on the plane rather than having a premium-heavy setup.
The Brussels Airlines’ A330s come in 2 configurations both with a three-class setup, featuring:
| Travel Class | Config. 1 | Config. 2 | Seat Layout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Class | 30 | 30 | 1-2-1 / 2-2-1 (Alternating Rows) |
| Premium Economy | 21 | 28 | 2-3-2 |
| Economy Class | 244 | 228 | 2-4-2 |
The reason resides in the type of routes served. The airline serves almost exclusively Africa on its longer sectors there isn’t as strong a demand for Premium as there is on many transatlantic services. Also its route network doesn’t extend further south than Congo making investing in a heavier premium cabin and more advanced seats not worth the cost.