Air Belgium (KF, Brussels Charleroi) is planning to start flights to the United States this year, a filing with the US Department of Transportation (DOT) has revealed.

In its application for Exemption Authority and a Foreign Air Carrier Permit, Air Belgium said that once it has secured the requisite paperwork, it intends to operate Belgium-US charter flights first before branching into the scheduled services market.

"Air Belgium requests expedited approval of this application so that marketing and sale of the proposed services can begin without delay," it said.

Air Belgium currently operates two A340-300s on scheduled passenger flights between its Brussels Charleroi base and Hong Kong International. It has already announced plans to expand into the mainland China market at some point over the coming months.