During last week’s BeCA second General Assembly, the election of the Brussels Airlines Vice-President was not held since there were no candidates. In those very difficult times for aviation and aviators, it’s essential not to leave an empty seat. The Executive Committee has therefore appointed 2 co-VPs ad interim, Bart SMET and Christophe VERLEYE, who will take on the roles and functions of the VP until the next elections take place..

Bart started in Sabena in 1999, as one of the last pilots trained on the Boeing 737-200, soon completed with the Boeing 737-EFIS type-rating; and later followed by a switch to the Airbus A32F. After Sabena’s bankruptcy, he found a new job under the wings of Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium. He completed his Captain’s upgrade in 2008. After 15 years, the production of Thomas Cook, together with his crews, was taken on board by Brussels Airlines where he has been flying since then as A32F Captain on the medium-haul sector. Since 2012 he has had multiple functions and roles within the Unions and the BeCA Committee.

After 4 years as an Air Traffic Controller and air taxi pilot, Christophe joined Virgin Express in 1997 as a B737 First Officer. He completed his Captain upgrade in 2000. After the merge with SNBA, he became an A32F Captain, then flew Mixed Fleet Flying A320/A330. He is now an A330 Captain on the long-haul sector. Christophe was the Virgin Express BeCA VP during the merger with SNBA. Since then he has occupied different functions in the BeCA committee and is now Executive Vice-President.

By appointing these 2 experienced pilots, we will offer our members a solid mix of Long-Haul / Medium-Haul, French / Dutch culture and Thomas Cook / Brussels Airlines, which guarantees a balanced approach and full representativeness to tackle the upcoming challenges.

Should you have any questions or require assistance, please do not hesitate to contact them at bart.smet@beca.be and/or christophe.verleye@beca.be.