Brussels Airlines employees and Belgian CEO’s take off to Africa to cycle for charity

45 Brussels Airlines employees took off to Dakar today for the third edition of Bike for Africa. Tomorrow 20 CEO’s and top managers of Belgian companies will join them, when they start a 5-day, 400km mountain bike tour through Senegal and The Gambia to support both local and Belgian organizations and to raise awareness about the potential of the African continent in the aftermath of the Ebola crisis. The goal: raise 150,000 euro.

Bike For Africa was first organized in 2011 in Rwanda and Burundi, when the airline’s employees and Belgian companies raised €93.000 for SOS Children’s Villages. Two years later, the team followed into the footsteps of Stanley in Uganda. Bike For Africa raised €140.000 for the CoRSU Hospital in Kampala and the United Fund for Belgium that year. This time, Brussels Airlines wants to raise €150.000 for three different charities in The Gambia, Senegal and in Belgium.

Brussels Airlines deliberately chose West Africa as for Bike For Africa this year, to once again shed light on the Africa is not Ebola initiative, launched by the airline to help rebuild Africa’s reputation after the Ebola epidemic, which caused great economic harm to the continent.

45 Brussels Airlines employees participate in this third edition of Bike For Africa, together with 20 Belgian CEO’s and top managers, including Brussels Airlines CEO Bernard Gustin, Bernard Marchant from Rossel Group and Tom Vande Cruys of Lampiris. Also joining them as an ambassador is singer Piet Goddaer (Ozark Henry). Bike for Africa is organized within the context of b.foundation for Africa, the Corporate Social Responsibility program founded by Brussels Airlines in 2010. With this program the airline supports numerous NGO’s and humanitarian projects that share the same passion for Africa., including the initiatives from its own employees.

“We have a strong connection to Africa, it holds a special place in our hearts. That is why we have never discontinued our flights to the Ebola stricken countries and why we have started the Africa Is Not Ebola awareness campaign, through which we want to make the world see that this fantastic continent has so much to offer both economically as well as in terms of tourism. Bike For Africa was created as a teambuilding to actually discover Africa from another point of view and to support local projects”, says Bernard Gustin, Brussels Airlines CEO

Bike For Africa can be followed live via the Bike For Africa blog and the Facebook page of b.foundation for Africa.

 

More information:

Africa Is Not Ebola: www.africaisnotebola.com
Bike For Africa: www.bikeforafrica.be
b.foundation for Africa: www.bfoundationforafrica.com
Facebook: www.facebook/bfoundationforafrica

Africa Is Not Ebolawww.africaisnotebola.com
Bike For Africa Blogwww.bikeforafrica.be
b.foundation for Africa websitewww.bfoundationforafrica.com

Kim Daenen

Brussels Airlines

Wencke Lemmes

Brussels Airlines

Maaike Andries

Brussels Airlines

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About Brussels Airlines

Brussels Airlines is the home carrier of Belgium and one of the four network airlines of the Lufthansa Group. It connects the European capital from Brussels Airport with over 90 destinations, 18 of which are in Sub Saharan Africa. The company employs more than 3,500 people and operates 44 aircraft.

Brussels Airlines aims to emit 50% less CO2 by 2030 compared to 2019 and plans to be carbon neutral by 2050. The airline is participating in the Stargate Project led by Brussels Airport and is therefore part of the testing ground for sustainable aviation at its home base. In addition, the airline signed the Circular Economy agreement of the Antwerp Management School in 2021. The airline was the first to transport Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) through the CEPS-pipeline connecting Brussels Airport early 2023. By end 2024, Brussels Airlines will have welcomed five state-of-the-art Airbus A320neo allowing the airline to significantly lower its CO2- and noise-emissions on its medium-haul network.

As an ambassador of its country, Brussels Airlines brings the world to Belgium and the best of Belgium to the world, among others through collaborations with Belgian Star Chefs, Belgian culinary products and the Belgian Icons, specially painted aircraft that honour a Belgian iconic person, team or event to promote Belgian culture worldwide.

More information on brusselsairlines.com 


About Star Alliance

Established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance, the Star Alliance network was founded on a customer value proposition of global reach, worldwide recognition, and seamless service. Since its inception, it has offered the largest and most comprehensive airline network, with a strong emphasis on enhancing the customer experience throughout the entire Alliance journey.

Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 17,500 daily flights to over 1,150 airports in almost 190 countries.

Star Alliance Press Office: +65 8729 6691; mediarelations@staralliance.com
More information on staralliance.com

Contact

b.house Zone General Aviation - Airport Building 26 1831 Diegem

+32 2 723 89 90

press@brusselsairlines.com

www.brusselsairlines.com