The Canadian flight simulator company CAE plans to close its training centre at Brussels Airport by the end of the year, threatening 22 of 27 jobs, De Tijd reported on Tuesday.
The company attributes the closure to declining demand, outdated simulators, and persistent financial losses.
On 8 April, CAE began the legal consultation process with employees, marking the first step towards potentially ending its technical training operations in Brussels.
“We face structurally high costs compared to the revenue we generate,” CAE explained, noting several years of declining performance. While the Belgian site was profitable in 2024, recent losses and a forecasted deficit for the current financial year have worsened its outlook.
An internal document, cited by De Tijd, stated, “CAE Brussels operates on a limited scale, with insufficient long-term demand for various simulators, and no revenue prospects to sustain operations.”
The news caught unions by surprise, according to Paul Blondeel, a representative for the Christian union ACV-Metea.
CAE has pledged to minimise the impact on employees, encouraging them to apply for other roles within the company.
