The airline wants to support the economic recovery of the region
Brussels Airlines will double its flights to Freetown (Sierra Leone) and Monrovia (Liberia). From 8 September, the two West African countries will be connected to Brussels Airport four times instead of twice a week. “We have not turned our backs on these two countries during the Ebola outbreak and we will fully support them in their economic recovery”, says Brussels Airlines Chief Commercial Officer Lars Redeligx who spent the past few days visiting Sierra Leone to monitor the situation firsthand.
Liberia was declared Ebola-free just last month, while the number of new contaminations in Sierra Leone is declining. Both countries are preparing for their economic recovery and Brussels Airlines would like to support this recovery by increasing its flight offer and offering more connections between the two countries and the rest of the world.
Four flights a week
As from 8 September, the flight frequencies to Sierra Leone and Monrovia will be doubled, from two to four times a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday), offering much more flexibility and choice for passengers as well as freight. All flights can be combined with other Brussels Airlines destinations from Brussels Airport to several other destinations in France, the UK, Germany, Swiss, Italy, Scandinavia and the US.
Supporting the economic recovery
“This is an important investment of Brussels Airlines in the accessibility of both countries, which is absolutely indispensable now that the region is working hard on its economic revival”, says Lars Redeligx. “As the only European carrier we have never ceased to operate flights to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea during the Ebola crisis and have transported more than 80,000 passengers and 2,000 tons of freight to the region, most of which were humanitarian aid supplies.”
The three Ebola stricken countries are doing everything in their power to get back on track as soon as possible, since the Ebola epidemic has not only disrupted the lives of its inhabitants, but it has also caused major economic damage. “During our visits to the countries we have witnessed firsthand the professionalism with which the local authorities and aid organizations are handling the crisis. We are happy that as an airline, we too can contribute and we have received much recognition and gratitude, which I want to share with our crews and ground staff who have made it possible for us to continue our operations. After having expanded our flight schedule to Guinea a few weeks ago, we look forward to also operate more flights again to Sierra Leone and Monrovia. Good flight connections are a must to make the development of both countries possible. We also actively continue to pursue our “Africa Is Not Ebola” awareness campaign and we plan an economic mission to the region later this year, together with NGO’s and other companies.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
