Brussels Airlines launches largest program of flights to sub-Saharan Africa    

Brussels Airlines has unveiled plans for its long-haul network for the northern summer of 2025, The peak 2025 season will see the Belgian national carrier offer more capacity to sub-Saharan Africa than at any time in its history, even before the COVID-19 pandemic.  

The carrier will operate 56 weekly flights to the sub-Saharan region, a figure that represents an increase of 10% over the same period in 2024. The arrival of an additional Airbus A330 widebody aircraft in June 2025 will facilitate this growth, while the airline will also continue to maintain regular services on its North American network to both New York-JFK Airport and Washington-Dulles Airport (IAD).  

The additional fleet capacity will allow the carrier to increase the frequencies to several of its current destinations on the African continent – a region that has traditionally been a stronghold of the airline and its long-haul network for historical reasons.  

Brussels AirlinesThe company’s routes from Brussels to Nairobi (Kenya) and Accra (Ghana) will be upgraded to daily rotations.  Meanwhile, the routes to Banjul (Gambia), Freetown (Sierra Leone), and Conakry (Guinee) will all receive additional frequencies. Dakar (Senegal) and Abidjan (Ivory Coast) will be served with more direct flights from the Belgian capital which will replace triangular-routed flights as is currently the case.  

Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo will receive daily direct flights from Brussels from March 2025. Currently, the Congolese capital is served by a five-times-weekly, with both direct flights plus a twice-weekly service that makes an intermediate stop in Luanda (Angola). The airline says the more attractive flight schedule to Kinshasa “will not only be more comfortable, but it is also more sustainable and it reduces the chances of delays or other operational hiccups.” 

“Kinshasa is without a doubt our flagship route,” said ​Dorothea von Boxberg, CEO of Brussels Airlines. “The history of aviation in Belgium began almost 100 years ago with the ambition of connecting Kinshasa and Brussels via air. Upgrading this route to a daily non-stop connection shows our unwavering commitment to the Democratic Republic of Congo.” 

Brussels AirlinesTo operate all flights to Kinshasa non-stop, connections to Luanda are to be consolidated within the Lufthansa Group, of which Brussels Airline is a major part, along with SWISS, Austrian Airlines, soon-to-be ITA Airways and some smaller carriers including Discover Airlines and Air Dolomiti. Replacing the Brussels Airlines flights will be Lufthansa which will operate three weekly direct flights between Luanda and Frankfurt, to ensure connectivity is guaranteed to Angola.

The last Brussels Airlines flight to Angola’s capital will be on March 25, 2025. All passengers booked on Brussels Airlines after this date will be rebooked to Lufthansa flights meaning that flights to Luanda will be non-stop.  

According to ch-aviation, the carrier’s current all-Airbus fleet comprises 45 aircraft including 14 A319s, 16 A320s, five A320neos, and 10 A330-300s, with the 11th due in the summer of 2025. In the coming years, Brussels Airlines plans to grow its long-haul fleet to 13 aircraft with the addition of two extra airframes. By 2027, the Belgian airline also aims to introduce brand-new cabin interiors, featuring new business class, premium economy, and economy class offerings.  

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