Brussels Airlines has removed an Israeli halva product from its in-flight menu. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Belgian airline workers have filed a formal strike notice over Brussels Airlines’ decision to resume flights to Tel Aviv while requiring employees to work the Israel route, citing security concerns and what they called the “ethical implications” of operating flights amid the war in Gaza.

Effective Sept. 1, Belgian trade union ACV Puls, which represents workers in the service sector, is expected to launch protest measures if Brussels Airlines does not reverse its decision to make Tel Aviv assignments mandatory, potentially disrupting flights to and from Israel.

Under a previous agreement, Brussels Airlines had planned for flights to Tel Aviv to initially be staffed exclusively by employees who volunteered for the assignments.

With its Israel route returning this summer, the airline offered grants, bonuses and other financial incentives to employees who volunteered to staff the flights.

A shortage of volunteers for the planned schedule has now led the airline to move away from voluntary staffing and return to its standard crew-assignment system, making Tel Aviv flights mandatory for some employees.

The company also said that the successful resumption of operations over the summer had helped normalize the service, allowing it to resume regular crew assignments while stressing that safety remains its highest priority.

“Together with the other airlines in the Lufthansa Group, we will continue to monitor the situation on the ground closely and can adjust our procedures at any time, should that be necessary,” the statement reads.

However, ACV Puls argues that Brussels Airlines’ decision to require employees to accept assignments to Israel despite the security situation fails to meet its responsibility to protect workers from potential security and health risks.

The union also pointed to the “psychological and ethical” implications of operating the route, citing what it described as the “genocide in Gaza.”

“There are serious concerns among employees regarding physical safety, as well as the psychological and ethical impact of the flights,” Yolinde Defeu, representative of the union, said in a statement. 

“Brussels Airlines refuses to give employees the option to refuse such assignments. This is particularly grave in the context of the ongoing war and genocide in Gaza,” Defeu continued.

ACV Puls also cited Belgium’s Foreign Ministry guidance, including warnings over the security risks and advice against nonessential travel to Israel and Jerusalem, while pledging to support employees who decline assignments on such routes.

“A shortage of volunteers does not give a free hand to coerce workers,” the union’s statement said.

ACV Puls is demanding that employees with “serious safety or conscientious reservations” be allowed to refuse Tel Aviv assignments without financial, professional or disciplinary penalties. It is also calling on the Belgian government to clarify its policy on commercial flights to conflict zones and protections for airline workers.