On Monday, a direct flight between Brussels and Nairobi, Kenya, took off from Zaventem Airport, marking the return of this route by Brussels airlines after nearly a decade.
The airline aims to serve both leisure and business travelers, as Kenya has become a popular tourist destination and Nairobi hosts the UN headquarters in Africa, making it a significant hub for diplomatic and business travel.
“With the exception of Washington and New York, all our long-haul destinations are in Africa,” said Dorothea von Boxberg, CEO of Brussels Airlines.
“We are committed to the African continent and plan to offer more direct flights to our existing destinations.”
Federal Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib highlighted the significance of the new direct flight, calling it a “win-win situation for both countries” and describing the flight as a bridge between Belgian and Kenyan cultures and economies.
Brussels Airlines now offers Nairobi as its eighteenth destination in sub-Saharan Africa. The airline operates six flights a week during the summer, including two ‘triangular’ flights via Kigali in Rwanda, and four flights a week during the winter.
Travel to sub-Saharan Africa accounts for about 20 percent of all passengers carried by Brussels Airlines and represents 40 percent of the airline’s total revenue.
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