Sabena

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Sabena was Belgium’s national airline from 1923 to 2001. Based at Brussels Airport in Zaventem, it flew to many European destinations and long-haul routes to Africa. The airline was created with government help after its predecessor SNETA ended, and Sabena’s first commercial flight was from Brussels to London on 1 July 1923. It soon added more European routes and began Congo services in the 1920s, building one of its most famous networks in Africa. After World War II Sabena restarted European flights and began transatlantic service, flying to New York from 1946. Over the decades Sabena modernized its fleet, introducing jets such as the Boeing 707, Caravelle, 747s, and DC-10, and later Airbus aircraft in the 1990s. In the 1990s it briefly rebranded as Sabena World Airlines. The Belgian government and foreign partners invested in the airline, with BA and KLM taking stakes in 1989, Air France in 1993, and Swissair in 1995. But after the Gulf War and industry liberalisation, Sabena faced big losses and Swissair could not provide the needed funds. Sabena filed for legal protection in October 2001 and ceased operations on 7 November 2001. Its assets and some routes were taken over by Delta Air Transport, which became SN Brussels Airlines, and in 2007 merged with Virgin Express to form Brussels Airlines. The last Sabena flight to land in Brussels was on 7 November 2001, ending the airline’s 78-year history.