ANA from NRT to BRU as from winter season 2015

[rwandan-flyer]

Brussels Airport ‏@BrusselsAirport 2 minil y a 2 minutes

Hello, excellent route news to start the day with: @flyANA_official will connect #Brussels & #Tokyo with a daily flight as of autumn 2015.

[Stij]

ANA BRU-NRT confirmed In the flemisch press...

http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws/economie/1.2356656

I'm... surprised it went so... quickly...

Cheers,

Stij

[tolipanebas]

Yes, and very soon indeed; already this autumn!
Nice lobbying from the Belgian government, BRU and SN combined.
Shows you that when they work together, they can achieve much more than just low cost riff raff.
More information on frequencies, schedule and SN code shares to come...

[Stij]

And the official press release on ANA's webite...

https://www.ana.co.jp/eng/aboutana/pres ... 50601.html

Cheers,

Stij

[Acid-drop]

nice lobbying ?
i'm a bit confused that a prime minister looses his time with 1 (one !!) airline link with very debatable return on the belgian economy.

[asianlao02]

great news. Flanker2 will be happy for sure

[crew1990]

So next one will be Singapour Airlines?

[asianlao02]

So next one will be Singapour Airlines?

cx will be amazing too

[Atlantis]

It went very fast the last couple of days, wow. First was Autumn 2016, then Spring 2016 and now will be already Autumn of this year.
Well done. I think the pressure was high.

[Inquirer]

Was about to start a new topic about this, but it seems like it is already being discussed here (not sure its the best place really; doesn't this deserve a topic of itself, moderators?):

http://www.tijd.be/ondernemen/luchtvaar ... 5-3085.art

I think it is excellent news for our Belgian economy, as these are exactly the kind of flights BRU should focus on; nonstop flights to global business centers are known to bring a much higher added value than any other type of flight for the economy of the host country.

As already said by someone, I would now focus on that other premium STAR alliance airline, Singapore Airlines. They used to serve BRU in the past, so I am sure that with the same kind of help and lobbying from our government and Brussels Airlines, they too may be persuaded to come back to our country.

[crew1990]

And Singapour is already a destination of Brussels Airlines with a stop

[Conti764]

And Singapour is already a destination of Brussels Airlines with a stop

Well, this way you can say that nearly every major airport in the world is a Brussels Airlines destination.

Wasn't Singapore performing badly from BRU in the past, hence axing the route by SQ?

[b-west]

Off-topic: If I'm not mistaken, SQ flew SIN-BRU-MAN with a 747, which might have been too big a plane for that route. Maybe with the introduction of the 787 to the fleet, a direct flight can be an option again.

Good news for Brussels Airport and Belgium. There's a huge number of Japanese passengers that fly into Brussels on connecting flights, I'm sure a large part of those will be more than happy to take a direct flight instead.

[Nevihta]

Nice !
What aircraft can we expect ?

[Stij]

I doubt they'll connect to a lot of the Africa flights as due to the NRT curfew, they cant depart between 23:00 and 6:00.'

So either they'll depart NRT at 23:00 and arrive in BRU at 3:30... not...
either they'll depart at 6:00 and be in BRU at 10:30... close connection in BRU, but no connections in NRT,
or they'll use there first wave at 10:00 in NRT and arrive in BRU around 14:30... maybe some connections to West Africa. But then the aircraft won't fly back to NRT before 16:30 and then the connections from Africa to Japan are to long...

My bet: no connections to Africa, but connections in NRT to the rest of Japan or...

If they would move the flight to HND, they could copy Hainan's schedule and make connections on both ends...

Cheers,

Stij

[Passenger]

Press release Brussels Airport:

All Nippon Airways (ANA) today announced the start of a new route between the Belgian and European capital and the worlds’ third largest economy as from autumn 2015.

The arrival of All Nippon Airways (ANA) strengthens the position of Brussels Airport in the Star Alliance network of which Brussels Airlines is a member. What better way to celebrate the 150th anniversary in 2016 of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The first route between Brussels Airport and Tokyo since 2001 will be ensured by Japan’s largest airline.

“This announcement by ANA is the result of a long process. The support of the Federal and Regional Belgian authorities was essential for this achievement. The Belgian Economic Mission to Japan in 2012, led by HRH Prince Philippe, also played a major role. This connection provides an opportunity to strengthen of economic relations between our two countries. This direct route also brings with it the creation of hundreds of direct and indirect jobs at Brussels Airport and is an incentive for investments and tourism", says Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport Company.

This choice by ANA is logical. The economic links between the two countries date back to a long time as is shown by the presence of numerous Japanese companies in Belgium and the large Japanese community in our country. Moreover, as the capital of Europe, Brussels is a vital link internationally. Tourism too is an important factor.

The arrival of All Nippon Airways reinforces the role of Brussels Airport in the Star Alliance network. ANA is now able to provide excellent onward connections through to the large network of Brussels Airlines and this not only in Europe but also to Africa where Japanese investments are on the up.

With the arrival of ANA, Brussels Airport now has 15 long haul airlines that together operate over 26 daily flights to the United States, Canada, The Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Gulf, India, China and Thailand.

Source:
http://www.brusselsairport.be/en/mediaroom/news/60004/
(languages: EN-FR-NL)

- - -

Same in NL:

All Nippon Airways (ANA) heeft vandaag aangekondigd dat ze vanaf de herfst start met een rechtstreekse vlucht tussen de hoofdstad van België en de hoofdstad van de derde economie in de wereld.

De komst van All Nippon Airways versterkt de rol van Brussels Airport in het wereldwijde Star Alliance netwerk, waar ook Brussels Airlines deel van uitmaakt. Een optimale manier om 150 jaar diplomatische relaties tussen de twee landen te vieren in 2016.

De grootste Japanse luchtvaartmaatschappij zorgt hiermee voor het eerst sinds 2001 voor een rechtstreekse verbinding tussen Brussels Airport en Tokio.

"De aankondiging van ANA is het resultaat van een lang traject van onderhandelingen. De steun van de federale en regionale overheden is daarbij van essentieel belang geweest, en zeker ook de Belgische economische missie in Japan in 2012 onder leiding van Z.K.H. Prins Filip. De verbinding zal de economische relaties tussen beide landen verder verstevigen. De directe verbinding zal ook honderden nieuwe directe en indirecte jobs op de luchthaven creëren, en zal nieuwe investeringen en het toerisme stimuleren”, zegt Arnaud Feist, CEO van Brussels Airport Company.

De keuze van ANA is een logische keuze. Zo zijn er al decennia sterke economische banden tussen beide landen, er zijn veel Japanse bedrijven en er leeft een grote Japanse gemeenschap in ons land. Bovendien is Brussel als hoofdstad van Europa internationaal een essentiële schakel. Ook het toerisme is een belangrijke factor.

De komst van All Nippon Airways versterkt de rol van Brussels Airport in het Star Alliance netwerk. ANA kan via Brussels Airport uitstekende verbindingen aanbieden naar het uitgebreide netwerk van Brussels Airlines, en dit niet alleen binnen Europa maar ook naar Afrika, waar de Japanse investeringen in de lift zitten.

Brussels Airport telt, na de komst van ANA, 15 luchtvaartmaatschappijen die op de lange afstand vliegen, met in totaal meer dan 26 vluchten per dag naar de Verenigde Staten, Canada, Mexico, de Caraïben, sub-Saharaans Afrika, de Golf regio, India, China en Thailand.

- - -

Same in FR:

All Nippon Airways (ANA) a annoncé aujourd’hui, le démarrage d’une liaison directe entre la capitale belge et européenne et la capitale de la troisième plus grande économie mondiale et ce, dès l’automne 2015.

L’arrivée d’All Nippon Airways renforce le rôle de Brussels Airport dans le réseau mondial Star Alliance auquel appartient également Brussels Airlines.

Une façon optimale de célébrer, en 2016, le 150ème anniversaire des relations diplomatiques entre ces deux pays.

La première liaison directe entre Brussels Airport et Tokyo depuis 2001 sera assurée par la plus grande compagnie aérienne japonaise.

"Cette annonce par ANA est le résultat d’un long parcours de négociations. Le soutien des autorités fédérales et régionales fut essentiel mais aussi la Mission économique belge au Japon en 2012 présidée alors par SAR le Prince Philippe. Cette liaison ouvre la porte au renforcement des relations économiques entre les deux pays. Ce vol direct induit également des centaines de nouveaux emplois directs et indirects à l’aéroport et est un incitant pour les investissements et le tourisme", déclare Arnaud Feist, CEO de Brussels Airport Company.

Ce choix par ANA relève d’une logique évidente. En effet, les liens économiques entre les deux pays se traduisent par la présence de nombreuses entreprises japonaises en Belgique et par une importante communauté japonaise dans notre pays. Par ailleurs, Bruxelles, en tant que capitale européenne, est un acteur international de premier plan. Enfin, le tourisme est un facteur déterminant.

L’arrivée d’All Nippon Airways renforce le rôle de Brussels Airport dans le réseau Star Alliance. ANA peut également offrir une excellente connexion vers le réseau élargi de Brussels Airlines et cela non seulement au sein de l’Europe mais aussi vers l’Afrique où les investissements japonais sont croissants.

Brussels Airport compte désormais, avec l’arrivée d’ANA, 15 compagnies aériennes offrant des liaisons longues distances et au total 26 vols quotidiens vers les Etats-Unis, le Canada, le Mexique, les Caraïbes, l’Afrique subsaharienne, la région du Golfe, l’Inde, la Chine et la Thaïlande.

[Bralo20]

Nice !
What aircraft can we expect ?

It depends, if they want to offer First then they'll send the 773, if not then it will be the 788. Maybe the 772 but I doubt it. The 763's seem to be deployed on intra-asia flights.

[Nevihta]

Thanks

[Flanker2]

I'm extatic and positively surprised by this fast announcement.
I think that they had to announce it this fast because of the start already in less than 6 months.
Though I'm quite surprised that they did decide to launch it this soon.

I'm personally going to be on this flight at least one return flight per month and will dump my JL frequent flyer card in no time to join NH's FFP.

The added value justifies paying a premium for direct flights, even if they cost more than double.
Due to the nature of our business, a direct flight could save us thousands more in procurement cost than the cost of the flight itself.

I think that it's no secret that I can be quite a critic about new routes in and out of BRU.
The O&D is there, the premium demand is there, there is a corporate base at both sides of the route, no competition for direct flights, good cargo traffic, NH operates low density B787's which are perfect for this route and there is a partner at the BRU end that can provide excellent connections to Africa first, regional destinations in Europe second, with a good premium offer on the longhaul flights.
So this is one of those no-brainers. NH will make good profits and give JL a huge blow on their European network.

I think that this is also a huge win for Belgium and among many other sectors, Antwerp's faltering diamond retail and tourism business.
Antwerp's diamond quarters around the Central Station were never the same again since Sabena ended the NRT route. I know several long-time retailers there and they used to tell me that Japanese tourists didn't bother to look at jewels going for less than 10.000 Euro's. It's true because in Japan they commonly say that a diamond worth less than 1 million Yen isn't worth buying. But most of them left with the Sabena flight they used to come on.

SN will also definitely be a huge winning party as they will see increased activity on their African flights, which is paramount to launching added frequencies.

[crew1990]

And Singapour is already a destination of Brussels Airlines with a stop

Well, this way you can say that nearly every major airport in the world is a Brussels Airlines destination.

Wasn't Singapore performing badly from BRU in the past, hence axing the route by SQ?

No, if you look at the destination of SN in Asia you'll see only Mumbai and New Delhi with Jetairways, Bankok with Thai Airways, Beijing with Hainan, Abu Dhabi with Etihad and finally Singapour via Zurich or Frankfurt with Swiss or Lufthansa.

Just to show you my references: http://www.brusselsairlines.com/fr-be/d ... fault.aspx

Singapour is then the only Asian destination of Brussels Airlines which is not flown directly. This is then to me the next logical step.