Emirates to start daily services to Brussels

Tuesday, 6 May 2014 00:14 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Emirates, a global connector of people, places and economies has announced that it will launch a new daily service to Brussels, Belgium, from 5 September 2014. Hosting the European Commission, the European Council and over 120 other international organisations, Brussels is a key decision making centre. Home to thousands of international diplomats and civil servants, Emirates’ new service will add to the city’s global connectivity and contribute to further stimulating the country’s economic growth. Brussels will be Emirates’ 147th destination, closely following the launch of Oslo, Norway on 2 September. The non-stop service will be operated by a Boeing 777 in a three-class configuration. Emirates will be the first international airline to offer a First Class product from Brussels to the Middle East and Asia offering customers an unrivalled travel experience. “As the centre of European politics and a hub of economic activity, Brussels is already an important offline market for Emirates. Our research has shown that there is high demand for this route from across our network, from both the business and public sector as well as leisure travellers. Belgium operates an open and private enterprise-based economy and we expect this new service to further boost bilateral trade and commerce between the UAE and Belgium, which currently sits at around 4 billion per year,” said Emirates airline President Sir Tim Clark. The new service will greatly increase convenience and choice for the large number of Belgian consumers who currently have to travel via other airports to reach Dubai. Drawing around 7.5 million tourists each year, Belgium is also home to 11 UNESCO World Heritage sites. In tandem with the country’s growing tourism segment, Emirates expects strong passenger traffic into Brussels on the route from Dubai and also an increased tourism demand for Belgium from large markets on Emirates’ network such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the Philippines and Korea which currently lack direct passenger flights to Belgium. “Brussels complements our existing European destinations and with our new flight, customers will now be able to fly direct from Brussels to Dubai, and onwards to key cities in the Far East, Australia, South Asia, the Middle East and South Africa,” added Clark. A multi-modal hub, Brussels International Airport has its own train station allowing quick and frequent travel options linking it to all major cities in Belgium as well as the major industrial centres of Europe. “Brussels Airport is delighted to welcome Emirates to Belgium. With this new daily flight, Emirates opens a direct connection between Belgium and Dubai, supporting the economic and leisure ties between our country and the United Arab Emirates. Furthermore, this new route provides the Belgian traveller with a broad choice of convenient transfer connections throughout the Middle East, Asia and beyond to Australia and New Zealand,” said Brussels Airport Company CEO Arnaud Feist.