Brussels Airlines increases frequencies to five African destinations

As from April 2012, Brussels Airlines will considerably increase flight frequencies to five African destinations. Travel possibilities and seat capacity to/from Yaoundé and Douala (Cameroon), Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Nairobi (Kenya) and Bujumbura (Burundi) will be enhanced, while Kinshasa will be served four times a week non-stop. The frequency increase is made possible thanks to the introduction of an additional long haul aircraft. B russels Airlines continues to reinforce its presence on the African continent. Following the launch of new services to Bamako (Mali), as well as Marrakech and Agadir (Morocco) this year, Brussels Airlines will improve travel solutions to and from several African destinations in April 2012. Thanks to excellent timing, passengers will be able to connect seamlessly between these new flights and other Brussels Airlines’ flights within Europe or to/from the United States. Brussels Airlines will also launch a new, state of the art long-haul in-flight product including lie-flat business seats and comfortable economy seats, with the latest entertainment technology on board. Flying with Brussels Airlines will be more comfortable than ever before. The new product will be presented early 2012.

West Africa

Weekly frequencies to the capital of Cameroon, Yaoundé, will be increased from two to six, while Douala, the important harbour and economic hub of the country, will be linked daily to Brussels Airport instead of the current 3 flights weekly. Moving on from the events at the beginning of this year, Ivory Coast is experiencing a strong economic revival. The country has also announced several measures to stimulate business and trade. All good reasons for Brussels Airlines to increase its flight offer to a daily service. Brussels Airlines will cease its own flights to Accra (Ghana). However, thanks to a codeshare cooperation with its strategic partner Lufthansa, Brussels Airlines will continue to offer comfortable travel solutions via Frankfurt.

Central Africa

Brussels Airlines will introduce more direct flights to this region. As from April, flights to Kinshasa will operate non-stop from Brussels every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Direct non-stop flights from Kinshasa to Brussels will be offered six times a week.

East Africa

Brussels Airlines will also enhance its service to Nairobi (Kenya) and Bujumbura (Burundi). Nairobi will get a fourth frequency weekly and Bujumbura a third.

Source: Press Release Brussels Airlines


 

First Production A400M in Assembly as Airbus Military Predicts Export Demand

Airbus Military has begun final assembly of the first production A400M, slated for the French Air Force. The company says that delivery of this aircraft (MSN7) is on schedule for the first quarter of 2013, thanks to good progress in the flight-test program.

The next customer to take delivery will be Turkey, also in 2013, followed by the UK, Germany and Malaysia, all in the second half of 2014. By the time that Spain takes delivery of its first aircraft in late 2015, the production rate will have reached the maximum of 28 to 30. The remaining partner, Belgium, does not require delivery of its first aircraft until late 2018. “We will have slots available for new customers in 2016-17, in between further deliveries to the European partners,” said Gustavo Garcia Miranda, v-p of market development, at the recent Dubai Air Show. He predicted that Airbus Military would sell 300 A400Ms over the next 20 years, of a total forecast demand for 800 heavy airlifters during that period.

The fuselage of the first production A400M is unloaded from a Beluga freighter nose-docked at the Airbus Military factory in Seville. (Photo: Airbus Military)

Source: AINonline