Brussels Airlines has officially inaugurated its flights to Nairobi, with the inaugural flight (SN 481) from Brussels to Jomo Kenyatta Airport taking off earlier this morning. The Belgian national airline will now connect Nairobi to Brussels up to six times per week. According to the Kenyan Tourism Board (KTB), this new route is expected to generate additional tourism business and boost Kenya’s economy.
This new route significantly expands travel options to and from Kenya, offering numerous connections beyond Brussels throughout Europe and the United States. Europe is the second largest source market for Kenya, contributing 29% of the market share with 572,352 arrivals recorded last year.
Brussels Airlines, recognized as the Africa expert within the Lufthansa Group, currently operates flights to 18 destinations in sub-Saharan Africa. The airline has ambitious growth plans, with Nairobi, Kenya, being the first tangible result of this expansion.
Since the flights went on sale, 50,000 people have already booked their tickets to visit Nairobi or to fly from Nairobi to Brussels, marking the route as a success even before the first flight took off. The inaugural flight from Brussels was celebrated with a gate event attended by Dorothea von Boxberg, CEO of Brussels Airlines, Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport, and Peter Maddens, the Belgian ambassador to Kenya.
