Brussels Airlines to downsize

Brussels Airlines is to implement a 3-year downsizing strategy aimed at stemming losses and achieving sustainable profitability. "The airline has grown a lot in recent years, but profit didn't follow," says the carrier. "We need to take a step back to enable us to grow in the future." Having embarked on an evaluation of the network and fleet to see where reductions can be made, the airline is targeting a sustainable profit margin of 8% by 2022. It acknowledges that cutting back its operations would entail job cuts, but has not provided any figures. There have been discussions with employee unions, and the airline is seeking to make any redundancies on a voluntary basis. A more detailed announcement will be made to staff Thursday. The move follows a 4-month internal investigation into how profitability can be restored. <br/>