After reducing their intercontinental fleet from 10 to eight aircraft as part of their 2020 turnaround program, Brussels Airlines will add a ninth A330 from June 2022. With the added capacity, the carrier will reopen their West African stations in Conakry and Ouagadougou.
On Monday (November 22, 2021), Brussels Airlines announced that they will add a ninth Airbus A330 to their intercontinental operating fleet from June 2022. The airline’s intercontinental fleet was previously downsized from 10 to eight aircraft as part of their 2020 turnaround program. Brussels Airlines will expand their market position in West Africa with the added capacity by reopening their stations at Conakry (Guinea) and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), and will also increase frequencies from Brussels Airport to Freetown, Monrovia, Banjul and Lomé.
In Monday’s operating fleet expansion announcement, Brussels Airlines’ CEO, Peter Gerber, said,
“We always said that we would go for growth as soon as market conditions permitted. As we see a strong demand in the West African market, we want to take the opportunity to go for growth and invest in an expansion of our African network. The allocation of this aircraft to Brussels Airlines is a clear sign of Lufthansa’s trust in Brussels Airlines and confirms once again our position as Africa expert within the Lufthansa Group.”
Also commenting on the additional aircraft, Brussels Airlines’ Head of Network and Planning, Jan Derycke, added,
“We are happy to welcome Conakry and Ouagadougou to the Brussels Airlines network again. With the additional A330 aircraft, we will operate 3 weekly flights to Conakry and Ouagadougou as well as add additional frequencies to Freetown, Monrovia, Banjul and Lomé.”
To support the additional capacity and routes, Brussels Airlines will be hiring around 50 cabin crew members in the coming months, offering the positions to former crewmembers first. Some of the airline’s medium-haul pilots will also have the opportunity to transfer to the long-haul operation.
Brussels Airlines is the national carrier of Belgium and a member of the Lufthansa Group. In 2019, the carrier transported over 10 million passengers to, from and via Brussels Airport. Brussels Airlines connects the European capital to over 70 destinations including 60 European, 15 African, two North America and Tel Aviv. The airline operates 38 aircraft and has over 3,100 employees, supporting over 40,000 direct and indirect jobs. Brussels Airlines offers competitive fares and the highest levels of service quality, including bespoke onboard meals curated by yearly changing ‘Belgian Star Chefs.’ Founded in 2002, Brussels Airlines is a member of the Star Alliance and is 100% owned by Deutsche Lufthansa AG.
Source: Brussels Airlines