(Posted 23rd September 2022)
Air Belgium has signed a new commercial agreement with South Africa’s independent and premier airline, Airlink,which conveniently connects customers travelling to or from Brussels, with 36 destinations across Southern Africa.
This follows the recent inauguration of Air Belgium’s new service between Brussels, Johannesburg, and Cape Town, using the fuel-efficient state of the art Airbus A330neo aircraft.
This first cooperation agreement between both companies offers Air Belgium customers the ability to purchase multi-sector journeys for flights operated by Air Belgium and Airlink, on a single ticket. It includes the added ability to have their luggage checked through their final destination when transiting through Johannesburg.
It simplifies travel to bucket-list Southern African destinations for Air Belgium customers across Airlink network, wanting a convenient long-haul service between the heart of the European Union’s capital and South Africa plus 11 neighbouring Countries
Commenting on the agreement, Niky Terzakis, CEO Air Belgium, says: “South Africa is in high demand for Belgian and European travellers. We are delighted that our dynamic agreement with Airlink will allow us to offer our customers seamless connections to 12 popular South African leisure and business destinations such as the Kruger National Park, Durban and Gqeberha (formerly known as Port Elizabeth) as well as important business destinations like Kimberley, Bloemfontein and Richards Bay amongst others. We’re also excited to be able to offer our passengers the possibility to travel to bucket-list destinations within the SADC region as well as the DRC.”
“Choice, reliability, top quality service and convenience are Airlink hallmarks. Through this cooperative arrangement with Air Belgium, Airlink offers inbound business and leisure travellers an unmatched choice of onward connections across our entire network, which spans 36 destinations in 11 sub-Saharan countries. Similarly, we now offer convenient connections through Johannesburg and Cape Town, to Belgium, which, besides hosting the EU capital, is a leading gateway for visitors to Europe. It is also the heart of the international diamond trade and an important centre for industrial manufacturing, making it a crucial trading partner for many of markets and countries we serve,” explained Airlink CEO and Managing Director, Rodger Foster.
Airlink was established in 1992 and is an independent, privately-owned, full service airline.
Choice and reliability are Airlink hallmarks and it serves over 45 destinations in 13 countries throughout Southern Africa, Madagascar* and St Helena Island.
Airlink continues to be the most on-time domestic airline, with its growing fleet of more than 60 modern jetliners achieving a 95.14% average on-time performance in August 2022 and 96% for the year to date**. Airlink is an International Air Transport Association (IATA) member and accredited under its safety audit programme.
* Flights serving Madagascar will resume when the current flight restrictions are lifted.
**measured by the Airports Company South Africa.
Customers can book on www.airbelgium.com, www.flyairlink.com, or through reputable travel agencies.
Air Belgium’s main operational base is located at Brussels Charleroi Airport. Air Belgium also operates from other airports in Belgium and Europe. Beyond its own regular routes, Air Belgium also provides services for many prestigious foreign companies, tour operators, cruise operators and foreign governments.
