Brussels Airlines has officially launched flights to Nairobi. The inaugural flight (SN 481) from Brussels to Jomo Kenyatta Airport took off earlier this morning. The Belgian national airline will connect Nairobi to Brussels up to six times per week. According to the Kenyan Tourism Board (KTB), the new route will generate extra tourism business and boost Kenya’s economy.

With many connections beyond Brussels throughout Europe and the United States of America, travel options to and from Kenya are significantly expanding thanks to the new route of Brussels Airlines. In the other direction, Europe is the second highest source market contributing to 29% of market share into Kenya, recording 572,352 arrivals last year.

Brussels Airlines is the Africa expert within Lufthansa Group, with currently 18 destinations is sub-Saharan Africa. And the airline has ambitious growth plans, with Nairobi (Kenya) as first tangible result of this expansion.

Since the flights went on sale, 50.000 people already booked their ticket to visit Nairobi or to fly from Nairobi to Brussels, making this route already a success before the first flight took off.

The first flight departed from Brussels after a gate-event in the presence of Dorothea von Boxberg, CEO of Brussels Airlines, Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport and Peter Maddens, the Belgian ambassador in Kenya.