Europe's Failed Flag Carrier - Sabena

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Today, in another extra-long instalment, we take a look back at an airline I personally flew on back in the day for the reason that it had eargerly fashioned its Brussels home as one of the easiest and most mainstream hubs in Europe in order to reach the wider world, that being the Belgian flag carrier of Sabena.

This carrier was one of the oldest in Europe, having been established in 1923 as both an economic lifeline and political tool, that would serve the dual purpose of supporting Belgium's growth on the domestic aviation market in Europe, but also to ensure vital connections with the Belgian Congo were maintained, as its shipments of diamonds and rubber formed a pivotal part of the Belgian economy.

Sadly, by the end of the century, Sabena was a financial basketcase that had relied too long on government bailouts, while a joint partnership with one of Europe's most efficient flag airlines, Swissair, would ultimately doom both parties following the September 11th, 2001 attacks, bringing about the traumatic end of a major part of Belgium's national identity,.

Chapters:

0:00 - Preamble
0:46 - Politics, Economics and War
7:35 - Post-War Expansion
13:50 - The Sick Man of Europe
19:31 - Swiss Intervention
25:06 - Falling Out
31:59 - The End
37:18 - Life After Death
43:30 - Conclusion

Special thanks to Sabena Aeronautics Nostalgia for allowing me permission to use their extensive array of footage to support this production. I highly recommend a visit to their channel as it truly is a treasure trove of Sabena's long and storied history, with some exceptional rare snippets and fantastic insights:

   / @sabenaaeronauticsnostalgia  

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The views and opinions expressed in this video are my personal appraisal and are not the views and opinions of any of these individuals or bodies who have kindly supplied me with footage and images.

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References:
Key Aero (and their respective references)
Wikipedia (and its respective references)