Travelers will be able to fly directly from Brussels Airport to 180 destinations this summer season, which starts on Sunday. Eight new destinations have been added compared to last summer.
For the first time, there are even more direct flights to China than to the US. Since last Tuesday, Air China, one of the world’s largest airlines and the national airline of the People’s Republic of China, has been operating seven weekly direct flights from Zaventem to Beijing with an Airbus A330, as well as three weekly flights to Chengdu, the largest city in Sichuan province.
Back to Brazil
Five of the eight new destinations are located outside Europe. For example, starting June 2, LATAM Airlines will operate three weekly flights between Zaventem and São Paulo, Brazil. It is the first direct passenger connection to South America in 26 years, and it strengthens economic ties (trade, business travel).
In addition, direct connections to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (via Brussels Airlines), and Halifax (Air Canada) will be available in June. Starting Thursday, there will also be flights from Brussels Airport to Chengdu (Air China) and the Chinese metropolis of Chongqing (Hainan Airlines). More long-distance routes mean more business travelers, better cargo opportunities, and more tourism to Belgium.
Europe
Within Europe, there are direct flights this summer to the Polish city of Gdansk, the northern Spanish region of Asturias, and the Cypriot port city of Larnaca.
Last year, at the start of the summer season, Brussels Airport also announced a network of 180 destinations. This means that eight destinations have also been lost, indicating that the network has been redistributed rather than expanded.
This summer, five new airlines (Latam Airlines, Air China, Volotea, Air Senegal, and Smartwings) will be active at Brussels Airport, bringing the total to seventy.
More airlines mean tougher competition, resulting in sharper prices, more choice for travelers, and increased attractiveness of Brussels Airport as a hub. Brussels Airport is trying to become more internationally relevant by focusing on long-haul flights, but it is not really growing.
