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Report: Air Belgium to Continue Only as Third-Party Operator for Now

Oct. 18, 2018
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2 min read
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Report: Air Belgium to Continue Only as Third-Party Operator for Now
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Putting the lie to its motto, "Simply fly away," beleaguered Belgian carrier Air Belgium will limp along for now, operating solely as a third-party operator for other companies, according to a report.

At a meeting of the board of directors and shareholders Thursday, the Charleroi (CRL)-based company voted to keep fulfilling its contracts for third-party flights, even though Air Belgium is operating at a substantial reduction in net assets, according to Aviator. In the meantime, the company plans to refocus on starting up its promised service to mainland China. Previous reports had suggested that Air Belgium was on the verge of liquidation.

The company's had a spotty record in its short two years, from having to postpone its inaugural flight at the last minute because it hadn't gotten all the necessary permissions to cancelling all flights from October 2018 through April 2019. The Air Belgium fleet, all of four A340-300s, were primarily meant to fly from Belgium to Hong Kong (HKG) three times a week, but Air Belgium yanked the route just weeks ago. One of the planes is being leased to British Airways for its London Heathrow (LHR)-Abu Dhabi (AUH) route, and will eventually switch to BA's service from London to Dubai (DXB) from Nov. 1 to mid-December.

Calls and emails to Air Belgium were not returned.

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  • Solid welcome bonus

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  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
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  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
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