New Belgian airline VG Airlines has received its air operator's certificate (AOC) from the Belgian civil aviation administration and aims to start scheduled services by 20 May from Brussels to New York, Boston and Los Angeles in the USA and Yerevan in Armenia. VG will serve the large US Armenian community living around Boston, Los Angeles and New York. Armenian Airlines will buy 50% of the seats on VG's Brussels-Yerevan route and cancel its own Yerevan-Amsterdam and Yerevan-Frankfurt services. VG Airlines may lease a fourth Airbus A330-200 as a stand-by aircraft and for charter flights. Meanwhile, Sabena successor SN Brussels Airlines will launch flights to Kinshasa and other African destinations on 26 April with three former Sabena Airbus A330-300s operated by Belgian start-up Birdy Airlines. Birdy is confident of securing an AOC in time.
Source: Flight International
