As of June 2022, Brussels Airlines will add a 9th A330-300 to its intercontinental fleet. It will also bring 12.5% of extra cargo capacity, CFG learned from the company’s press office.
With the extra capacity, Brussels Airlines (SN), the Africa expert of the Lufthansa Group, will reopen the West African stations Conakry (CKY) and Ouagadougou (OUA), and add frequencies on its
routes from Brussels Airport to Freetown, Monrovia, Banjul, and Lomé.
Balanced loads expected
The company says that CKY and OUA are two very strong cargo destinations, in both directions. “In West-Africa, they are among the strongest. South-bound, we count on a steady flow of general
cargo, whereas north-bound, we will carry local produce, depending on the season,” reads a statement from SN communications.
The airline’s communications department goes on to say: “Burkina Faso is an important mango producer, so we expect a full belly of mangoes during that season. After the season we will take
several other types of vegetables and fruit.”
Demand surpasses capacity
Brussels Airlines had discontinued its operations to both stations in 2020, as part of the network resizing during the airline’s turnaround plan Reboot Plus following the COVID-19 crisis.
The first objective of the turnaround plan was to structurally lower the company’s cost structure to a competitive level, so as to create a sustainable future for Brussels Airlines. The carrier
now sees an increasing demand in the market, creating opportunities to expand its presence in West Africa again and reach pre-Covid levels.
The company adds to this that the demand for cargo transport has been high since the beginning of the corona pandemic. “Due to the decrease of belly capacity (less long-distance flights as a
whole), the demand surpasses the offer worldwide and to a lesser extent also between Africa and Europe. So, we definitely count on a strong contribution to cargo with this 9th A330,” the
Belgian carrier’s communications department emphasized, when asked by CargoForwarder Global.
Marcel Schoeters in Brussels
We welcome and publish comments from all authenticated users
Write a comment