Brussels Airlines increases Flights Between Vilnius and Brussels

For the winter season starting on October 31, 2024, Brussels Airlines will be operating five times a week between Vilnius and Brussels. This is in addition to the four flights per week it runs during summer thus enhancing the connection of these two cities.

Flight Details

• Timetable: This is wonderful news as it means there will be more flight son this route than ever. The services run on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.
• Classes: Brussels Airlines have 2 options when travelling. There is business class as well as economy class. This gives travellers different options depending on their different levels of comfort during their journey. 

Better Connections

This move will bring about increased connectivity between Lithuania’s capital city and Brussels which is not only a major centre for business travel but also receives many tourists every year. All three Baltic states are served by at least one of Lufthansa Group airlines except for Lithuania where all four fly there.

Discover Vilnius Lithuania

Nestled in the heart of Lithuania, Vilnius is a charming city that seamlessly blends historical elegance with vibrant modernity. Its UNESCO World Heritage-listed Old Town is one of Europe’s largest and most well-preserved, featuring cobblestone streets, stunning Baroque architecture, and an array of cultural landmarks. There are many fun things to do here. Explore the old town, visit historial & cultural sites or simply savour the local cusine. there really is something for everyone here. 

Brussels Airlines increases Flights Between Vilnius and Brussels

This increase in flights truly makes travel much easier between Vilnius and Brussels. Thinking about your next group trip? Why not take advantage of these new increased flights and plan a trip to Vilnius Lithuania? Contact our fabulous DMC in Lithuania who are more than happy to put together a custimised travel itinerary. 

New Shanghai-Brussels route launched by Juneyao Air starting from July 3, 2024. The service is direct on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays to keep two vibrant cities globally connected and make life easier for passengers. At 01:55, from Shanghai Pudong International Airport Flight HO 1659 lands at Brussels International Airport at 08:15 local time. Return journey on Flight HO 1660 takes off from Brussels at 11:50 a.m., landing in Shanghai the following day at 5:05 a.m.

Highlights of the Shanghai-Brussels Route

• Cutting-edge Planes: Experience comfortable travel in Juneyao Air’s Dreamliner type Boeing787-9.
• Luxury Business Class: For an extra comfy journey, this class offers premium services and a spacious arrangement.
• Wireless Connectivity: Keep in touch throughout your flight to enhance productivity and entertainment.
• Efficient Luggage Handling: Smooth travel is accomplished by checking luggage directly into final destinations.

This expansion represents a milestone for Juneyao Air as it improves its network worldwide and shows commitment towards offering high-level services. Apart from supporting China-Belgium economic ties, the Shanghai-Brussels route also encourages cultural interaction and tourism development. Efficient travel between the bustling commercial center of Shanghai and vibrant European cultural Brussels can now be achieved easily by travelers.

With 95 aircrafts operating under its name and another twenty-four contributed by its subsidiary branch known as “9 AIR”, Juneyao Air has continued to expand in the aviation industry. This new destination demonstrates airline’s efforts to meet diverse needs of clients while providing strong connections across continents in the form of direct flights.

Juneyao Air will offer seamless trips between Asia and Europe. New Shanghai-Brussels Route Launched. 

Brussels is a fantastic place to visit and should certainly be considered for you next group trip! This City has many fun things to do with your group. Check out our fantastic DMC in Belgium to plan your next trip

Emirates  Dubai to Tokyo, Geneva, and Brussels Flights - 

Emirates has announced the addition of its latest Boeing 777 cabin interiors to flights between Dubai and Tokyo Haneda, Geneva and Brussels. For the first time, these flights will include Emirates' signature Premium Economy as well as the next-generation Business Class seats in a new 1-2-1 configuration.

Adnan Kazim, Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer for Emirates Airlines said: “By adding newly retrofitted Boeing 777s into our fleet mix, we are also providing ourselves with opportunities to bring in popular offerings such as Premium Economy to more cities served by this aircraft type within our network already and introducing more seat options across four classes.”

“Inspired by our flagship A380 in every cabin, our revamped Boeing 777 with enhanced interiors offers the best possible customer comfort. The redesigned Business Class cabin features additional privacy for customers along with sleek design touches and signature cabin finishes. Our investment ensures a consistent experience on all of them - both Boeing 777s and A380s.”

From July 1st, the first Emirates Boeing 777 will undergo a complete nose-to-tail refurbishment of its interior that will take approximately two weeks per aircraft. This includes refreshing the First Class cabin whilst installing upgraded seating options consisting of 38 new Business Class seats in a modernised 1-2-1 configuration, along with 24 Premium Economy seats and 256 Economy Class seats.

The new Business Class seats have been designed for optimal personal space and privacy which convert into fully flat beds whilst being each up to 20.7 inches wide with an average pitch of up to 44 inches apart. The staggered seating arrangement provides aisle access from each seat. Other features include touch screen seat controls, personal mini bars , large tables, storage areas for personal devices plus charging points; while there will also be a small bar area in the Business Class cabin for mid-flight snacks and drinks.

A total of 81 Boeing 777s are planned to be retrofitted by Emirates as part of its extensive programme. Further destinations will be announced over the coming months. The airline is investing over US$3 billion in revamping 191 aircraft across its fleet.

Currently, Emirates operates refurbished A380 aircraft fitted with Premium Economy on several routes including New York JFK, Los Angeles, London Heathrow, Sydney, Singapore, Mumbai and Tokyo Narita. By February 2025, Emirates plans to offer Premium Economy to over 36 cities with the A350 joining its fleet from September this year and more refurbished A380s and Boeing 777s entering service.

Check out some of the fantastic destinations we have to offer here

Austrian Airlines adds New Routes to Innsbruck - 

Austrian Airlines will increase the number of flights between Vienna and Innsbruck for the winter season 2024/2025. The company will also initiate direct connections to some popular European cities.

The Viennese carrier will operate as many as 19 flights a week on the Vienna-Innsbruck route starting in October 2024. It will additionally offer weekly direct flights from Innsbruck to Brussels, Copenhagen and Warsaw. Between December and March; Amsterdam services will be extended. Charter flights are planned from Innsbruck to Stockholm and Billund during the peak ski season.

Austrian Airlines adds New Routes to Innsbruck

CCO Michael Trestl said of this offer that it represents flexibility but also recognises its importance for Tyrolean tourism: “More frequent connections mean more choice for our passengers. Once again we live up to our role as Austria’s home carrier by offering more flights.” Marco Pernetta, Managing Director of Innsbruck Airport added: “The increased frequencies and new routes are a clear sign that Austrian Airlines continues to invest in our region.”

Lufthansa Airlines also has an expanded schedule for the upcoming winter season: There will be 11 weekly flights between Frankfurt – Innsbruck or Munich –Innsbruck which can be supplemented by using the Lufthansa Express Bus service which connects Munich Airport with downtown Innsbruck. 

Discover Innsbruck: A Winter Wonderland

In northern Europe there is a city called Innsbrook that sits in the middle of the Alps mountain range. This place is not only a popular destination for those who love skiing but also provides beautiful alpine scenery all year round which makes it perfect for people looking forward to having their souls healed by nature. As “The Capital of the Alps,” it features world class ski resorts where visitors can enjoy snowboarding as well as many other winter sports activities.

Best Things to Do in Innsbrook:

• Nordkette Mountain Range: This mountain range offers splendid views and excellent skiing facilities which are easily accessible from downtown.
• Old Town (Altstadt): Visit the golden roof, medieval houses or just sit down at a delightful café.
• Innsbrook Cathedral (Dom zu St. Jakob): A baroque cathedral with impressive frescoes inside its walls that shouldn’t be missed by anyone who loves art.
• Bergisel Ski Jump: An architectural masterpiece which also serves as an observation tower giving panoramic views over the cityscape below while hosting international ski jumping competitions on its slopes.
• Ambras Castle: A renaissance castle housing significant art collections and beautiful gardens where you can take long walks through enjoying every bit of nature’s beauty around you.
• Winter Sports: Axamer Lizum is one among several ski resorts close to Innsbruck offering slopes for all levels of skier ability; Patscherkofel or Nordkette are others worth mentioning here too. Ice-skating opportunities exist within the city itself along with snowshoe trails and winter hiking paths for those looking forward to more adventurous experiences during their stay in this marvelous part of Austria.
• Cultural Experiences: If you have never been there before then don’t miss out on any winter festival happening at Christmas time as they never disappoint when it comes down to Austrian food, crafts or festive atmosphere creation at its best

Flight Schedule Overview:

• Vienna-Innsbruck: Multiple daily flights
• Innsbruck-Brussels: Saturdays
• Innsbruck-Copenhagen: Saturdays
• Innsbruck-Warsaw: Saturdays
• Innsbruck-Billund: Peak ski season
• Innsbruck-Stockholm: Peak ski season
• Innsbruck-Amsterdam: Saturdays, extended until end of March

Need help booking your next group trip? Contact our marvelous DMC in Austria

Brussels Airlines Launches New Route to Nairobi

Brussels Airlines has officially launched its flights to Nairobi, the vibrant capital city of Kenya! The first flight (SN 481) took off on June 3, 2024 from Brussels Airport and landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. With five weekly flights, this new route is expected to increase tourism and trade between Belgium and Kenya.

Here you can find the flight schedule of Brussels Airlines.

The Kenyan Tourism Board (KTB) is excited about the positive impact that this move will have on tourism in Kenya. In Nairobi alone, European tourists already account for 29% of all arrivals with a total number estimated at 572,352 visitors per annum.

June Chepkemei, CEO of Kenyan Tourism Board said; “We need connectivity to bring people into our country as tourists hence we are looking forward to working with Brussels Airlines towards this goal.”

Brussels Airlines Launches New Route To Nairobi

As an Africa specialist within Lufthansa Group, Brussels Airlines currently serves a total of 18 destinations across Sub-Saharan Africa. Since the start of ticket sales alone over 50 thousand tickets have been sold from Nairobi showing how much demand there is for this new connection even before the inaugural flight takes place.

Dorothea von Boxberg, CEO of Brussels Airline expressed her delight saying "We see many Belgians that want to discover Kenya. Our first flights to Nairobi are fully booked. We offer many connections from Europe via BRU (Nairobi), which gives more opportunities for Kenyans to study abroad or travel around."

To mark this special occasion an event was held at Brussels Airport just before take-off attended by Dorothea von Boxberg (CEO Brussels Airline), Arnaud Feist (CEO Brussels Airport) and Peter Maddens (Belgian Ambassador) among others. This new link promises exciting times ahead not only for travellers from both regions but also in terms of strengthening ties between Belgium and Kenya.

Why not let Somak Safaris take the hassle out of your next group trip? Contact today to plan your next trip and make your trip to Kenya special. 

 Source

Brussels Airport Announces 9 New Destinations

Spring may be late but as anticipated on 31st March, the summer season at Brussels airport will open again with a number of classic sunny destinations and new routes. For this summer, travellers from Brussels will have direct flights to 178 destinations in 64 countries through the 64 airlines operating there. The other eight are Singapore, China’s Shanghai, Kenya’s Nairobi, Norway’s Bergen, Poland’s Krakow; Italy’s Bari; Romania’s Bacau and Turkey’s Gazipasa. Additionally, Brive-la-Gaillarde Vallée de la Dordogne Valley is also expected to touch down at Brussels Airport for the first time.

Like last year's three-month break millions of Europeans can opt for distant trip or stay near their homes using city trip or spending family holidays by the sea or visiting friends abroad: 178 direct connections all over the world with air carriers (among which six are new ones) offer something to everyone.

Useful information:

Summer season has brought 178 direct routes from Belgium served by 64 air companies. They have added another 8 new destinations including Singapore, Shanghai, Nairobi,Bergen,Krakow,Bari,Bacau,Gazipasa. Also they’ve got Juneyao Airlines,Hainan Airlines and Singapore Airlines among six additions this year.

Brussels Airlines will introduce two new services this summer: Nairobi and Krakow. In addition they plan on buying one A330-300 aircraft and three A320neos thereby enabling them to operate on a total of 88 destinations. This includes their presence in Sub-Saharan Africa that consists of eighteen cities and two North American centres. Moreover Transavia will park its third aircraft at Brussels Airport for the period.

United Airlines is planning a second daily flight to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) therefore making four flights per day only from there. Air Canada has decided to serve more flights to Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) while Air Transat is putting on more services between Montreal Trudeau International Airport (YUL) and YYZ.

Air Arabia Maroc has enriched its Moroccan network with two new routes: Tetouan (TTU) and Rabat-Sale (RBA). Therefore, the total of them within Morocco is seven.

This summer Brussels Airport has a strong schedule that satisfies customers’ various needs both for Europe and even beyond!

Transavia Brussels’ new flights:

September 14, 2023: Transavia has chosen to increase its presence at Brussels Airport due to restricted capacity at Eindhoven and Rotterdam airports and the expected downsizing at Amsterdam Schiphol.

Another plane will be brought in to Brussels while three more cities are introduced by Transavia into its route network including Bari, Marrakech and Thessaloniki from June next year.

Starting on June 27th, there will be Thrice per week flights to Bari (Italy).

Also starting thenceforth from June 28th, thrice weekly flights to Marrakech Morocco will commence.

Flights twice a week start on June 29th for Thessaloniki

What is more, some of the current destinations will have an increase in frequencies as follows:

Alicante increases from 6 to 7 weekly

Heraklion increases from 3 to 4 weekly

Ibiza increases from 4 to 5 weekly

Malaga increases from 6 to 7 weekly

Tenerife South increases from2to3weekly

In addition, Transavia maintains frequencies to Faro, Seville and Zakynthos that are summer destinations while Innsbruck and Salzburg being winter destinations.

source: https://www.transavia.com

Tunisia's Soaring Connectivity to Europe: A Record-Breaking Summer

Tunisia has more capacity to Europe than any other African country, after Morocco and Egypt, . It will offer a record 3.54 million departing seats between April and October, according to Cirium data, a 14.6% rise over 2019. In the past two decades, this is only the fourth time that Tunisian capacity has exceeded three million seats — showing strong recovery from the  global pandemic among other things.

Highlights of Tunisia's Soaring Connectivity to Europe:

• Record Capacity: Highest ever for Tunisia with 3.54 million departing seats.
• Strong Growth: Up by 14.6% on 2019.
• Resilient Recovery: Overcoming the impacts of theglobal pandemic etc.

However, development has been held back by delays to an eagerly anticipated EU open skies agreement – much like Morocco, increased foreign (Ultra)LCC presence would benefit Tunisia to stimulate tourism and VFR traffic. Nevertheless, significant growth has been recorded by Nouvelair – a leisure operator based in Tunisia.

A Record Summer with Many New European Routes:

Over 30 new routes have been launched this summer – all are brand-new or not operated within the last decade by stated carriers; All are 2-weekly, except those with an *, which are weekly, and **, which are 3-weekly:

• 14 March: Nouvelair, Tunis-Basel (Switzerland)
• 27 March: easyJet, Bristol-Enfidha
• 31 May: Eurowings, Stuttgart-Monastir*
• 31 May: TUI fly Deutschland, Stuttgart-Djerba*
• 3 April: Nouvelair, Tunis-Berlin
• 5 April: Eurowings, Dusseldorf-Monastir
• 7 April: Nouvelair, Tunis-Bordeaux
• 19 April: Nouvelair, Sfax-Paris CDG
• 3 May: Eurowings Discover, Frankfurt-Monastir
• 6 May: Bulgaria Air, Sofia-Djerba*
• 26 May: Nouvelair, Tunis-Munich
• 1 June: Nouvelair, Djerba-Poznan*
• 1 June: Nouvelair, Sfax-Istanbul IST
• 12 June: Neos, Milan MXP-Djerba
• 12 June: Neos, Verona-Djerba*
• 12 June: Nouvelair, Monastir-Lublin/Katowice*
• 19 June: Neos, Bologna-Djerba/Monastir*
• 19 June: Neos, Rome FCO-Djerba/Monastir*
• 28 June: Nouvelair, Monastir-Bratislava*
• 19 June: Nouvelair, Tunis-Stockholm ARN*
• 2 July: Brussels Airlines, Brussels-Monastir
• 4 July: Eurowings, Hamburg-Tunis*
• 7 July: Nouvelair, Monastir-Banja Luka*
• 17 July: Nouvelair, Tunis-Milan MXP
• 10 September: Nouvelair, Tunis-Frankfurt**
• 11 September: Nouvelair, Tunis-Copenhagen*
• 14 September: Nouvelair, Tunis-St Petersburg
• 17 September: Nouvelair, Tunis-Bologna
• 29 October: easyJet, Basel-Enfidha
• 30 October: easyJet, London LTN-Enfidha**
• 30 October: Transavia France, Paris ORY-Tozeur

This year has seen a tremendous increase in the number of flights between Tunisia and Europe, with new routes being added at an unprecedented rate. Six airports in Tunisia now have direct flights from European cities, including Tozeur which will receive its first European flight since Tunisair stopped flying there last year when Transavia France starts serving Paris Orly on 30 October.

These developments demonstrate that Tunisia is serious about growing its tourism industry and aviation sector – an exciting future awaits for travellers and the country’s economy.

Tunisia has never been so easy to get to. Why not let our fantastic DMC in Tunisia help plan your next trip? Contact Barclay's Group Travel and get planning the trip of a lifetime!