Air Belgium is to begin flights to South Africa in September.
The airline will operate two scheduled flights a week from Brussels to Johannesburg and two to Cape Town. One Cape Town flight is direct, the other is linked to the Johannesburg flight.
Air Belgium is a leisure-oriented Belgian airline with several Caribbean destinations in its network, plus twice-weekly flights to Mauritius. Johannesburg and Cape Town are the carrier’s only continental Africa flights.
At this stage, the service is a seasonal one, from September 14, 2022, to March 25, 2023.
To Johannesburg
The Sunday flight, BRU to JNB, KF2303, departs BRU at 19h45 and arrives JNB at 08h15 the following day.
The Wednesday flight, BRU to JNB, KF2305, departs BRU 19h45 and arrives JNB at 08h15 the following day.
To Cape Town
The Sunday flight, BRU to CPT, KF2303, departs BRU at 19h45 and after stopping in JNB, continues onward to CPT, arriving 12h00 on Monday.
A Wednesday flight from Brussels goes direct to Cape Town. KF2307 departs BRU 21h00 and arrives CPT 09h00 the following day.
From Johannesburg
A Monday flight, KF2304, departs JNB at 19h00 and arrives in BRU at 06h30 the following day.
The Thursday flight, KF2306, departs JNB at 18h45 and arrives in BRU at 06h15 the following day.
From Cape Town
A Tuesday flight, KF2308, leaves Cape Town at 19h00 and flies direct to BRU, arriving BRU at 07h15 the following day.
The Thursday flight from Cape Town, KF2306, departs CPT at 15h00, stops in JNB (then departs for BRU at 18h45) and arrives in BRU at 06h15 the following day.
According to the airline’s website, the aircraft to be used on the South Africa route will be the A330-900neo, which, the site says, consumes on average 25% less fuel than previous generation aircraft. Lower fuel consumption also means less carbon and nitrogen emitted into the atmosphere.
The business-class cabin has 30 lie-flat seats, and the airline promises “gourmet dining” and an 46cm HD screen. In the centre aisle, ‘honeymoon seats’ are separated by a retractable sliding partition. Two pieces of checked-in baggage up to 32kg each, are included.
Premium class has its own dedicated cabin with with 21 seats, offering greater recline than economy and more leg-room (91,4cm). These seats have a 30cm HD screen. Two pieces of checked-in baggage up to 30kg each are included in Premium fares.
The economy-class cabin has 235 seats, 46cm wide and with leg-room of 78,7cm. Each seat has a 30cm HD screen. A single piece of checked-in baggage, up to 30kg, is permitted.
All cabins are equipped with an entertainment offering of up to 120 films including documentaries, cartoons and TV series, 600 music tracks and a dozen games for all ages.
The aircraft has paid-for WiFi access in three different packages, ranging from €5 (R81) to €20 (R325), giving functionality from text messaging to full web browsing ability. These can be bought on board. Phone calls are also possible on board.
