Brussels Airlines has resumed services to Nairobi this morning after a nine-year hiatus. The service was made possible through the recent induction of a newly delivered Airbus A330-300 (OO-SFP), which will operate six times a week this summer season.
As reported by Simple Flying in September, the new route brings Brussels Airlines’ total number of destinations in Sub-Saharan Africa to 18.
The new route
This summer season, the Belgian flag carrier will offer 6 weekly flights, two of which route via Kigali in Rwanda on the outbound leg. In winter, frequencies will drop to four, and the freed-up capacity will be deployed elsewhere to destinations in Africa, boosting services to Dakar, Banjul, and Monrovia.
This further increases the Lufthansa Group’s overall operation to Kenya, which includes a five-weekly
Lufthansa
service from Frankfurt. Discover Airlines also operates between Frankfurt and the coastal city of Mombasa.
The aircraft operating the first flight is registered OO-SFH, an 18-year-old Airbus A330-300. The aircraft was nearly 100% full, and boarding took much longer to complete than anticipated, resulting in a slight delay in departure.
The carrier says that 50,000 people have already booked to fly on the new route either originating in Brussels or connecting from elsewhere.
Poaching Lufthansa traffic?
Brussels Airlines had operated the service to Nairobi since its founding in 2002 but suspended it in 2015. In 2009, Lufthansa purchased a 45% stake in the carrier, acquiring the remainder in 2017.
As relations between the two developed, network expansion was coordinated across the Group. Brussels Airlines suspended operations to Nairobi because the group felt customers would prefer a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt, which is better connected to the US and Europe.
Now, the Lufthansa flight remains and Brussels Airlines is reentering the market. The latest route marks a significant capacity increase of Lufthansa Group airline seats to Kenya.
Simple Flying asked Brussels Airlines CEO Dorothea Von Boxberg whether the new route would be poaching traffic from its fellow LH Group members. She said:
“No, we are adding to the networks. So they [Lufthansa] keep their five weekly rotations that they do already, we add our six and together I think we provide a very good network for people traveling from all places in Europe not just from Brussels or from Frankfurt.”
The two airlines also cater to two different clientele. Brussels Airlines’ Head of Marketing, Michel Moriaux, told Simple Flying: “Of course we’re flying from different hubs but also have a slightly different clientele. We have our different feeder networks that we fill the flights up to Nairobi, and also different types of profiles, where it’s maybe slightly more business-corporate profiles for Lufthansa. We will have a good mix of corporate [travelers] but also leisure travelers. Kenya being a very nice leisure destination from Belgium but also from neighboring countries like France and Holland. So that will also be important to fill out our flights.”
Both Brussels Airlines and Lufthansa are operating to Nairobi, complemented by the leisure-focused Discover Airlines to Mombasa. This means the Lufthansa Group has a significant presence in Kenya.
Travel dynamics have changed since Brussels Airlines left the market in 2015, particularly given the growing economy. Media Relations Manager for Brussels Airlines, Nico Cardone, told Simple Flying:
“Firstly, in many places in Sub Saharan Africa and especially in Kenya, we see a growth of the middle class and growth of the economy and thus also an increase in demand for flights. So that’s already a difference.
“And secondly, indeed, today we have a bigger footprint in the United States and Canada. Also, thanks to our partners United and Air Canada who are adding flights to Brussels. And thanks to that extra connectivity, we can now make this route to Nairobi.”
The key role of connections
The recent LH Group-United Airlines-Air Canada decision to create a US-Africa hub in Brussels most certainly plays a part in developing connections on both ends and ensuring the success of the new Nairobi flight.
Connections are absolutely essential to this new route. Speaking to fliers, Simple Flying noted that most passengers’ trips originated in North America, a testament to the well-timed bank of long-haul flights at Brussels Airport. Von Boxberg told us:
“The two largest markets for bookings on the flight [to Nairobi] are actually the Belgians and US passengers. So US is very important and it helps that we offer connections with Air Canada and United feeding across the transatlantic market.”
Story by DILLON SHAH- Simple Flying
