Toronto Pearson was added to the North-American network and Mumbai from March 2017 with new Airbus A330-200. Apart from its own fleet, as of January 2019, Brussels Airlines also wet leased 4 Bombardier CRJ1000s operated by Air Nostrum.

At the beginning of 2020, Brussels Airlines entered the year with a fleet centred on Airbus A319 and A320 family aircraft for short- and medium-haul operations and Airbus A330-200 and A330-300 aircraft for long-haul services, particularly to Africa and North America. The airline’s business model was heavily dependent on Brussels Airport as a hub and on transfer traffic connecting Europe with African destinations.

This structure made the carrier particularly vulnerable when the COVID-19 pandemic triggered an unprecedented collapse in global air travel in March 2020. Passenger demand fell almost overnight, borders closed across Europe and Africa, and Brussels Airlines was forced to ground most of its fleet for extended periods. The airline implemented drastic capacity reductions, suspended numerous routes, and placed a large share of its workforce on temporary unemployment schemes supported by the Belgian state.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium, Brussels Airlines suspended all flights from 21 March through 19 April 2020.

Additionally, Brussels Airlines cancelled its wet-lease contract with CityJet, leading to the termination of eight European destinations in the wake of the pandemic.

In 2021, The fleet was temporarily reduced, and several Airbus A319 aircraft were phased out earlier than originally planned to lower operating costs. At the same time, Lufthansa Group reaffirmed Brussels Airlines’ strategic importance, particularly its African expertise, and committed to maintaining the brand as Belgium’s national carrier rather than fully integrating it into another Lufthansa subsidiary. Thus, in November 2021, Brussels Airlines announced a revision of their corporate design including a new logo.

In 2022 the airline commissioned Belgian band Hooverphonic to write a song using the airline's standard safety instructions and film a music video of it to show passengers prior to take-off on long-haul flights. The band debuted them at a 1 August surprise performance at a Brussels Airport gate where the airline's newest Airbus was making its first flight.

Brussels Airlines began rebuilding its network. European leisure destinations recovered first, prompting the airline to increase frequencies and reintroduce seasonal routes to Southern Europe, including Spain, Greece, Italy, and Portugal. Long-haul recovery was slower, but African routes progressively returned as borders reopened and demand stabilized. Brussels Airlines reinstated key destinations such as Kinshasa, Dakar, Abidjan, Douala, and Nairobi, often starting with reduced frequencies before scaling up. North American services, particularly the route between Brussels and New York JFK, were also gradually restored as transatlantic travel resumed.

In 2022, Brussels Airlines entered a phase of more active growth and renewal. Passenger numbers increased significantly compared to the previous two years, although they had not yet fully returned to pre-pandemic levels. The airline focused on fleet modernization and brand repositioning. While the long-haul fleet of Airbus A330 aircraft was retained and optimized, Brussels Airlines began planning for the future replacement of these aircraft, aligning with Lufthansa Group’s broader strategy of introducing new-generation long-haul aircraft later in the decade. On the short- and medium-haul side, the airline continued operating Airbus A320 family aircraft.

Network expansion in 2023 was particularly visible in Africa, where Brussels Airlines reaffirmed its position as one of the largest European operators to the continent. New or reinstated destinations included increased services to Central and West Africa, with additional frequencies to cities such as Accra, Lagos, Conakry, and Freetown, reflecting strong demand from both business and visiting-friends-and-relatives traffic. East African routes such as Entebbe and Kigali were also strengthened, often operated in multi-stop configurations to maximize aircraft utilization.

An important milestone occurred in 2023, when Brussels Airlines reported a return to sustained profitability, marking the end of the crisis phase triggered by the pandemic. The airline also continued its well-known tradition of special liveries celebrating Belgian culture, using these aircraft as marketing tools to reinforce brand identity internationally.

From 2024 and 2025, Brussels Airlines focused increasingly on long-term sustainability and strategic positioning. Environmental initiatives gained prominence, including the increased use of sustainable aviation fuel where available, weight-reduction measures, and participation in Lufthansa Group-wide decarbonization programs.

While no large-scale fleet replacement had yet occurred by this period, planning intensified around the eventual renewal of the A330 fleet, with strong expectations that next-generation aircraft such as the Airbus A321XLR and future widebody types would play a role in the airline’s evolution.

By today, Brussels Airlines has re-established itself as a stable and strategically important member of the Lufthansa Group. Its network once again spans a broad range of European cities, a dense and distinctive portfolio of African destinations, and selective long-haul services to North America. The period since the pandemic has reshaped the airline structurally and financially, but it has also clarified its mission: to serve as Belgium’s global carrier and Lufthansa Group’s centre of competence for Africa, while operating with a leaner cost base and a clearer focus on sustainable, long-term growth.