By: Russ Spencer

As Brussels Airlines prepares to relaunch its Tel Aviv operations next week, a coalition of unions representing baggage handlers at Alyzia, the French ground services company contracted to handle the carrier’s baggage and cargo, has issued a demand to be exempted from any duties linked to Israeli flights, citing “moral reasons,” VIN News reported.

The union coalition’s statement, released earlier this week, insists that Brussels Airlines should suspend its Tel Aviv service until what it described as “the genocide in Gaza and the West Bank” comes to an end. In addition to Brussels Airlines, the unions have declared their opposition to handling flights operated by Israel’s national carrier, El Al, as well as any other airline based in Israel.

The unions are seeking formal recognition from Alyzia that individual employees will have the right to refuse any participation in loading or unloading baggage and cargo for Israeli-bound or Israeli-originating flights without fear of disciplinary measures. They have stated that they will take action — potentially in the form of work stoppages or other disruptions — if the company enforces mandatory assignments for such flights.

According to the information provided in the VIN News report, Brussels Airlines, which is part of the Lufthansa Group, has indicated that its upcoming Tel Aviv flights will be staffed by “volunteer crews” only, suggesting that participation in these operations will be on a voluntary basis to mitigate potential labor disputes. The airline has not publicly confirmed whether Alyzia’s ground crews will also operate under a similar volunteer-only arrangement.

The Lufthansa Group, which includes Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, and Brussels Airlines, suspended all Tel Aviv flights in June amid escalating regional conflict. In recent weeks, however, the group has begun a phased resumption of its Israel services, citing improved operational planning and security assessments. Brussels Airlines’ Tel Aviv relaunch is one component of this gradual return to the Israeli market.

Union leaders have framed their demand as both a labor rights and political solidarity issue. In their view, workers should not be compelled to take part in operations linked to a conflict they oppose on ethical grounds. While the unions have acknowledged that such exemptions would be unprecedented for the company, they argue that the extraordinary nature of the conflict justifies their stance.

The demand has raised the possibility of direct operational disruptions if Alyzia refuses to accommodate the exemptions. Although the unions have not yet specified the form of their potential action, the report at VIN News noted that similar disputes in the European transport sector over politically sensitive cargo or destinations have sometimes resulted in targeted strikes, slowdowns, or coordinated refusals to handle specific flights.

This dispute comes against a backdrop of rising labor activism across Europe relating to Israeli aviation and cargo services. Since the outbreak of the latest conflict, dockworkers, transport unions, and logistics staff in multiple European countries have issued calls to halt the handling of Israeli shipments. Such initiatives have frequently sparked legal and political debate over the intersection of workplace rights, political expression, and anti-discrimination obligations.

For Brussels Airlines, the challenge lies in balancing operational continuity with the political sensitivities and labor relations environment in France. While the airline itself has stated its commitment to volunteer-based operations for Tel Aviv flights, Alyzia’s role as a third-party ground handler adds a layer of complexity to the dispute.

The coming week will be critical as Brussels Airlines proceeds with its scheduled Tel Aviv relaunch. Any refusal by Alyzia’s unionized workers to handle baggage and cargo could force the airline to find alternative ground handling arrangements or delay flights.

As the VIN News report observed, the situation highlights the broader pressures on European carriers operating in politically charged environments, where labor disputes can be influenced as much by geopolitical developments as by traditional workplace issues. Whether Alyzia and its unions can reach an agreement that both respects workers’ stated “moral reasons” and maintains operational commitments remains to be seen.