SN Brussels: Sabena's almost successful successor

摘要

SN emerged in late 2001 from the rem-nants of Belgian flag carrier Sabena and its low-cost regional subsidiary Delta Air Transport, which operated short-haul routes with RJs and BAe-146s. Today SN operates to 54 European and 14 African destinations, 22 in the US (through codesharing with American) and employs 2,000 staff. SN is owned by a number of Belgian companies, and its strategy is to replicate Sabena's route structure without the high cost base of its predecessor. In March it reported its first net profit: EUD0.6m for 2003 (compared with a EUD36.4m net loss in 2002), based on revenues of EUD534m (30% up on 2002). Revenue growth was due largely to new routes, including 13 in Europe, one in Africa and the launch of transatlantic flights. In May 2003, SN signed an agreement with American for codesharing on American's daily Brussels-Chicago service and 21 beyond destinations in the US.