BRU Winter 2015/2016: latest news, routes, airlines

[Predixs]

A long-awaited air route from Belfast (Northern Ireland) to Brussels could be agreed within weeks

A European airline is understood to be at an "advanced stage" of negotiations to launch a service from Belfast City or Belfast International. The business community has been lobbying for the service for many years.

The airline considering the route does not currently operate in Northern Ireland.

There is fierce competition between the two airports for new routes into Europe. Both are also pursuing options to begin services to Frankfurt and Munich. New routes into major European "hub" cities could attract support from Tourism Ireland, an important factor in making a new service financially viable for an airline.

Belfast City Airport presently has just one year-round international route, to Amsterdam. The operator KLM launched the service five months ago, with flights six times a week. An airline industry source said the new route was "hugely successful".

Summer routes operated by Aer Lingus from Belfast City to Malaga, Palma and Faro, and by Vueling to Barcelona, are due to end shortly, but all have performed well and are expected to resume in spring 2016.

Full article: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/busin ... 88612.html

Finally! An old friend of mine is going to be very happy, she always needed to go to Dublin by bus instead of just using the airport next door

[crew1990]

I guess it will be or Brussels Airlines, or BMI, or Ryanair winch Will open the route

[Inquirer]

I read that the airline is currently not active in Northern Ireland.
No idea if ryanair has any flights overthere, but if they do, its not them then.
I would personally bet on BMI (codesharing with and feeding the hub of Brussels Airlines), given the way in which the local business community seeks hub access. Or maybe even Brussels Airlines itself?
FWIW, does flybe have North Irish flights, btw? Or who knows: VLM?
No idea how the latter 2 can provide hub access however.

[RoMax]

This might be SN opd by bmi, big chance it will be that in fact. SN is the one with the feeding (the main reason for Belfast to want direct flights to BRU, FRA, etc.) so it makes the most sense if they launch this route, but the Avro seems too big and they'll leave the fleet in the not too distant future anyway. BMI launching the route on their own and 'just' codesharing with SN is also possible of course, but given their close relationship and the wet lease operations they already have, it seems very likely this will be another one.

[crew1990]

Indeed Ryanair fly to nothern ireland (Derry) so it won't be Ryanair then, I do not think Brussels Airlines would put a A319 at the begining as it s a route wich need to be served minimum daily to work, and i don't think SN will launch some new avro destinations as they are leaving the fleet so my bet will be a Brussels Airlines flight with a wet lease from BMI or even Flybe or a BMI or a Flybe flight

[RoMax]

Indeed Ryanair fly to nothern ireland (Derry) so it won't be Ryanair then, I do not think Brussels Airlines would put a A319 at the begining as it s a route wich need to be served minimum daily to work, and i don't think SN will launch some new avro destinations as they are leaving the fleet so my bet will be a Brussels Airlines flight with a wet lease from BMI or even Flybe or a BMI or a Flybe flight

The last one, a Flybe flight (non-wet lease) won't be the case as they already serve Belfast (City). My best gues is as said in my previous post a bmi wet-lease for SN, otherwise possibly a Flybe wet-lease for SN or a bmi opd and marketed flight with SN codeshare. A SN operated flight (Avro or Airbus) seems unlikely due to the capacity of their fleet types and the Avro's soon leaving anyway. EasyJet, Flybe, Jet2, Aer Lingus, Ryanair etc. all serve Northern Ireland, so they don't fit the statement of it being a carrier not yet serving Northern Ireland.

[crew1990]

I found a couple of flight to st petersburg with sn during some month of the winter, anyone got an info about the it could become a all-year destination?

[sn26567]

ANA All Nippon Airways (Japan) to launch codeshare service with Brussels Airlines (Belgium), effective 25 October 2015, coinciding with new direct service from Brussels to Tokyo. Before end of 2015, ANA will also start codeshares on European routes with Germanwings and Eurowings (Germany), on service from Dusseldorf to Tokyo.

[RoMax]

ANA All Nippon Airways (Japan) to launch codeshare service with Brussels Airlines (Belgium), effective 25 October 2015, coinciding with new direct service from Brussels to Tokyo. Before end of 2015, ANA will also start codeshares on European routes with Germanwings and Eurowings (Germany), on service from Dusseldorf to Tokyo.

Flightglobal says ANA will place its code on 30 SN operated services, including London, Stockholm, Miland and Tel Aviv. In case of Eurowings/Germanwings it will be 24 services out of DUS, including German domestic routes, Prague, Geneva and Madrid.

It is not mentionned that SN will put it's code on the ANA flights between BRU and NRT (and beyond), exactly where it was said to be a problem. Seems like that problem is still relevant... But at least SN can still get quite some feeding from Tokyo on their short/mid haul network.

[RoMax]

As a follow-up on the Belfast discussion earlier, the Belfast Telegraph now reports that it's said that the route is now confirmed and that Brussels Airlines will announce the route (to Belfast City) on Monday. No aircraft type known (so could still be bmi wet-lease operation of course), but it's said to be at least 5/week.

I assume it will be for summer 2016, but I put it here now as the previous discussion about Belfast was also in this topic. If it proves to be confirmed on Monday (amongst other things probably ), it can be put in the BRU summer 2016 topic of course.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/ ... 16225.html

[Inquirer]

Interesting they will opt for the city airport, not the larger (but more remote?) international airport.
Probably done for improved passenger convenience?
Just how small is it, btw?

[RoMax]

Interesting they will opt for the city airport, not the larger (but more remote?) international airport.
Probably done for improved passenger convenience?
Just how small is it, btw?

In 2015 BHD handled 2.55 million pax. compared to 4 million at BFS. Especially since 2013 it is BHD which seems to be the place to be for non-LCC/non-leisure carriers. Aer Lingus moved to BHD in 2013 operating a base there and I just checked in January 2015 KLM started operating to BHD (the first link between Belfast and a continental European hub by a network carrier). For SN, BHD is the more obvious choice (operations of Aer Lingus, British Airways, Flybe, KLM, Volotea, Vueling and Citywing) compared to BFS which is located much further away from the city (and dominated by easyJet, Thomson, Jet2, Thomas Cook, etc.), BHD is almost in the city (5km from the city centre) compared to BFS which is over 21km away from the city.

[OO-ITR]

As a follow-up on the Belfast discussion earlier, the Belfast Telegraph now reports that it's said that the route is now confirmed and that Brussels Airlines will announce the route (to Belfast City) on Monday.

If there will be a press conference on Monday, I'm sure this will not be the only news ...

[RoMax]

As a follow-up on the Belfast discussion earlier, the Belfast Telegraph now reports that it's said that the route is now confirmed and that Brussels Airlines will announce the route (to Belfast City) on Monday.

If there will be a press conference on Monday, I'm sure this will not be the only news ...

That's why I added this further down in that message (amongst other things probably ), I could have left out the "probably" as well.

[Boeing767copilot]

And the launch of n..., called .....

Note of sn26567: Edited! Confidential information under embargo

[brusselsairlinesfan]

And the launch of n..., called .....

Note of sn26567: Edited! Confidential information under embargo

(Re)launch Of Nairobi for SN?!

[lumumba]

Nouakchott...???

[crew1990]

new destinations maybe was him meaning, no worries you will find out very soon

[brusselsairlinesfan]

new destinations maybe was him meaning, no worries you will find out very soon

OK so here we are : Belfast, Jerez & Heraklion to become SN new destinations?!

[Avroflyer]

new destinations maybe was him meaning, no worries you will find out very soon

OK so here we are : Belfast, Jerez & Heraklion to become SN new destinations?!

As posted in the Summer '16 topic, those are indeed the new summer destinations (or at least those announced at this time)