Just last year, Brussels Airlines launched a flight to Mumbai, after Jet Airways quit on the Brussels Airport in 2016, moving to Amsterdam Schipol. The flight was announced as a five times a week operation on the Airbus A332 of Brussels Airlines. At that point in time, we were informed that Mumbai is the third most important intercontinental destination from Belgium.
However, it seems that plan has not worked out for them. Brussels Airlines has announced today that they are killing the flight to Mumbai in January 2018 and reallocating the resources to Africa, which is a crucial market for the Brussels Airlines.
As per a press release issued by Brussels Airlines,
Brussels Airlines’ Mumbai flights, which were launched in March 2017, will be stopped on January 6 for economic reasons, as the route does not deliver the anticipated results. At the same time, passengers still have ample alternative travel options via Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich thanks to Lufthansa Group airlines Lufthansa and SWISS.
This move continues to show that Brussels – Mumbai does not show any promise whichever way you put it since the market is not an O&D market, but a connection market. Belgium is not as big a tourism centre such as Paris or London for Indians.
If you are planning to get some cheap tickets to get to Europe, you still have a few months to fly Brussels Airlines then. And if you are booked on Brussels Airlines after January 6, then you should contact Brussels Airlines to be accommodated on a group carrier such as Lufthansa or Swiss.
Have you flown on Brussels Airlines? How was your experience with them?
Ajay, you are simply incorrect in saying that BOM-BRU has no promise and is not an O&D market. It is a substantial, good yielding O&D market, per friends who work in the airline biz. Unfortunately, Brussels Airlines (SN) seems to be under pressure from its parent, Lufthansa, who want them to focus on Africa. And those African routes are simply more lucrative. I’ve heard that LH want to fold SN into their low-cost Eurowings brand. Route development takes time, and BRU-BOM-BRU would have worked with more patience and investment. This could be a good candidate for Air India or eventually Indigo. (Jet Airways, probably not because AMS and CDG bracket BRU.)
From Mumbai?
TO Mumbai FROM Brussels.
Brussels Airlines seated in Brussels – not in Mumbai…
i guess they were hoping at least some demand were built-up during the days when 9W operated the BRU scissor hub.
most likely they can make far more sending that plane somewhere in West Africa, a network dating back to the SABENA days. It’s rather impressive SN’s African network continues to have fiercely loyal African point-of-sale support, even at places that don’t necessarily have any colonial ties to Belgium whatsoever.
it’s probably also the one single crown jewel that’s preventing LH Group from turning SN into a full blown Eurowings.
I remember during Ebola other airlines like Asky/ KQ withdrew their services to ROB & FNA, Except SN
2019?