Air Belgium celebrates inaugural flight from Brussels South Charleroi Airport to Hong Kong

This morning many guests, politicians and VIP’s were invited to celebrate Air Belgium’s “maiden flight” from Brussels South Charleroi Airport to Hong Kong, it’s actually the airline’s second flight to Hong Kong as on Sunday the first revenue flight already operated but that flight was still considered as a “technical flight”, to control all the procedures and fine-tune the details. Aviation24.be will be onboard and at both ceremonies to report.

Today’s inaugural flight, operated by Airbus A340-300 registered OO-ABB, marks the great start of the new Belgian airline, which had already operated in recent months a series of flights on behalf of third parties. For the BSCA, it is also a scoop: the first ever long-haul flight operated from Charleroi. The launch of Air Belgium follows a long-term work.

Before the ceremony Niky Terzakis, Air Belgium’s CEO proudly told that “Our ambition is to offer business and leisure travellers comfortable and high-quality direct long haul scheduled services against low fares. Our aim is to become the preferred carrier from Belgium to Asia and back. Air Belgium positions itself as a young, fresh and contemporary airline, operating from the conveniently located Brussels Charleroi Airport and major hub Hong Kong International Airport.”

“Belgium is located in the heart of the European Union and renowned for its welcoming character, quality of life and great products. It’s also appreciated for its unique spirit: modest, proud, a legendary sense of self-mockery and savoir-faire.”

“Air Belgium’s motto is efficiency and simplicity of use, while assuring a classy, cosy and comfortable travel experience. Air Belgium’s single most important assets are its professional and highly experienced staff.”

Ceremony

“Today is an important day for Belgian aviation“, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Employment Kris Peeters said during the morning ceremony. “An extra 600 jobs have been created by launching this new Belgian airline.”

“Air Belgium is a strategically very interesting project“, Pierre-Yves Jeholet, Vice-President of the Walloon Government and Minister of Economy added.

“Wallonia is very proud of this important step, being able to tell our Asian business contacts that from now on we can offer direct flights between Belgium and Hong Kong is an incredible advantage“, Charleroi mayor Paul Magnette explained.

“Which airline can claim to have transported more than 12,000 passengers before its very first commercial flight?“, Eric Bauche, chairman of board of directors of Air Belgium, hailing the performance of the new Belgian airline. “Today our team consists of 100 employees, and we expect to triple that number before the end of the year.”

Visit to the lounge

Air Belgium’s cosy lounge located at Brussels Charleroi Airport was created for business and premium passengers and is located just a few meters from the aircraft. The wifi enabled area allows our customers to work or relax while enjoying complimentary food and beverages before boarding. The lounge itself is a dedicated gate for instant boarding. The lounge is accessible 3 hours before departure.

In Hong Kong, business and premium passengers have access to a business lounge, which offers all facilities, including comfortable lounge seating, business centre facilities, internet workstations, shower rooms, private resting areas and a great range of food and beverages.

Investments in Charleroi

Between 30 and 35 million euros have been invested to lengthen the runway from 2600 to 3200 metres by 2021 – until then, Air Belgium’s aircraft will not be able to fly at full load – as well as 6 to 7 million euros for a new terminal, a lounge and a commercial area, among others. The two aircraft that currently make up Air Belgium’s fleet, two Airbus A340-300s, have not remained idle in the hangar in recent months. They allowed the Belgian airline to operate a series of flights for other companies, such as Surinam Airways, Air France, TUI and Condor. These flights represent more than 10,000 passengers carried.

During this month of June, Air Belgium will continue to operate flights for third parties. One aircraft will thus ensure flights all the month to Libreville (Gabon) on behalf of Air France. At first, the frequency of two flights per week between Charleroi and Hong Kong requires only one plane. A third weekly flight will be operated in July and even a fourth flight from October. Air Belgium hopes to add a third aircraft to its fleet this summer so that it can launch, “in the coming months“, a second destination to China. For now, the company employs a hundred people; it expects to triple that figure by the end of the year. Charleroi airport has created 50 new jobs.

Aircraft visit (outside only)

PRESS RELEASE

Air Belgium celebrates launch of its service between Brussels Charleroi and Hong Kong

Charleroi, June 6 2018 – Air Belgium celebrates the launch of its first flight connection between Brussels Charleroi and Hong Kong. The airline company also used the launch to introduce its new business lounge, which is located close to the plane.

Long-awaited take-off of the first direct flight to Asia of a Belgian airline company

The ceremony in Brussels Charleroi was attended by representatives from the political and economic world, including various ministers and authorities. Air Belgium’s and Brussels South Charleroi Airport (BSCA) executives were also present at the ceremony.

Eric Bauche, Chairman of the Board of Directors: “We’re very proud to launch this very first commercial flight connection between Brussels South Charleroi Airport and Asia. Both our own and BSCA’s people have worked on this project for two years. Hong Kong is only the first stop in our Chinese adventure and we’ll soon be announcing new destinations. We’d like to thank the authorities, the federal and regional governments and all our partners for their unwavering support.”

Laurent Lévêque, Chairman of the Board of Directors of BSCA: “The arrival of Air Belgium at our airport illustrates our desire to keep moving forward. The fact that we’re now able to offer long-haul and intercontinental flights, is a new milestone for our airport. The investments we’ve made, such as extending the runway and improving the infrastructure in which we welcome our passengers, have contributed to that milestone. We’ve proven that dreams can lead to exciting realities.”

Belgitude, comfort and Belgian products

For its three travel classes (economy, premium and business), Air Belgium offers a varied cuisine with a wide selection of classic dishes, complemented with Belgian products like beers, wines, cheeses, sweets and coffee. This way, even foreign passengers can get a little taste of Belgium.

Air Belgium feels very strongly about comfort, simplicity of usage and hospitality. That’s why a dedicated business lounge was created for business and premium passengers. They are able to enjoy a variety of services in a quiet, private environment and can easily board the plane directly from the lounge.

Hong Kong: first destination and a surprising city

Air Belgium selected Hong Kong as its first destination for a reason. The city is the most important hub in south-east Asia. Hong Kong stands for dynamism, contrast, enthusiasm, elegance and its gentle, Asian way of living. It’s also an important international financial hub and the business heart of Asia. Each day, thousands of business people and tourists make their way to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong, also known as the ‘City’ or the ‘Little New York’ of Asia, offers many must-sees, such as the view of the bay from Victoria Peak, the Kowloon walkway, the Chinese district Sheung Wan and the fishing village Tai O.

The city is an important Asian hub. From Honk Kong, half the world population can be reached with a five-hour flight or less. Other economic and tourist regions such as Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Macao can easily be reached by road or sea. In addition, the Brussels-Hong Kong connection offers easy access to other destination in Asia, the Pacific and Oceania. Air Belgium will soon announce connections to flights from other airline companies to these destinations.