Brussels Airlines launches four new destinations in Africa

In July Brussels Airlines will launch four new African destinations: Accra (Ghana), Cotonou (Benin), Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) and Lome (Togo). These additional destinations will be offered many times a week from Brussels Airport. The current connections to Abidjan (Ivory Coast) will also be  increased. An additional Airbus A330 will join the Brussels Airlines fleet creating additional 110 staff positions within the company.

The four new destinations are situated in West Africa and are completely new routes for Brussels Airlines. The routes will attract business from, VFR (visiting family and relatives), the business community, diplomatic services and the tourism industry. The flights to these new destinations will be operated with an Airbus A330, which will complete the long-haul fleet of Brussels Airlines. The first flight will be operated in the first week of July 2010.

Overview of the new destinations

Accra (Ghana)
Ghana has 23.8 million inhabitants and has a growing economy specialising in mining and exploration of many natural resources (including oil) and export of cocoa. Ghana is a multinational country and also plays hosts annually to many tourists who come to discover the impressive eco-tourism potential. Many European regions, such as Benelux, Germany and UK have large Ghanaian communities.
Flights to Accra, the capital of Ghana, will operate four times weekly (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday).

Cotonou (Benin)
Benin, a former French colony, has approximately 8.5 million residents and is recognised in the export of cotton and in agricultural production. The busy harbor plays a crucial role in the region. The government of Benin is currently focused on the development of international  investment, agriculture, technology and tourism. 
Brussels Airlines will offer two weekly flights to Cotonou (Tuesday and Saturday).

Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)
Burkina Faso is surrounded by six countries and has a population of almost 16 million. The economy depends on agricultural production, mining and many collaborative projects with other countries. Many Non Governmental organisations are active in the country and tourism is steadily growing.
Brussels airlines will operate two weekly flights to Ouagadougou (Thursday and Sunday).

Lome (Togo)
Former German colony, Togo has a population of 6.6 million and is known as the “Pearl of Africa”. Togo produces mainly agricultural products and cotton and specializes in mining (phosphate) exploration. The harbor of Lome is the only deep-sea harbor in the region. Togo is entirely surrounded by Benin, Burkina Faso and Ghana.
Brussels Airlines will connect twice a week between Brussels Airport and Lome (Monday and Friday).

Expansion of services to Africa

With this expansion, Brussels Airlines will operate 18 destinations on the African continent with its fleet of Airbus A330. On the West African coast, the airline will operate flights to 14 airports in 13 countries. Passengers can also benefit from Lufthansa services to Africa (Nigeria,Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Sudan, Angola and South Africa).

« As specialist in Africa, we continue our development based on our experience », explains Michel Meyfroidt and Bernard Gustin, Co-CEO’s of Brussels Airlines. « Africa is our second home and this new investment perfectly reflects that. The announcement of the launch of these 4 new destinations has been warmly welcomed. We want not only offer excellent connections between Ghana, Lome, Burkina Faso, Togo and Europe, but we want also to participate in the economic development of West Africa. »

Benin, Burkina Faso and Togo will also complete the large network of Star Alliance in the world.
Brussels Airlines is also strengthening its presence in the dedicated African section of Brussels Airport, known as the « T » zone. Like the other African destinations, the frequencies of these new destinations will perfectly connect our European, North American, Asian and Middle East network.

Due to the interest of the French market for these new destinations, Brussels Airlines will offer an additional daily flight between Paris CDG and Brussels as from the beginning of the summer season (28th of March). This second connection will ensure excellent transfer opportunities to the passengers travelling to Africa. The new four daily flights from London Heathrow also offer perfect connections to the African destinations via Brussels.

Creation of 110 jobs

As a result of this expansion on the African continent, Brussels Airlines will hire 110 employees - 12 new pilots and 50 cabin crew. A dozen employees will also reinforce the ground operations staff and sales/customers support. In the new African stations, Brussels Airlines will also create employment for forty people. This expansion will also create many indirect jobs related to the operations of the new aircraft (airport, handling, catering, security…).