Why Brussels Airlines isn't looking for an Asian partner ?

thofman2 · Post by **thofman2** » 16 Jan 2007, 12:04

Hello

It's my first new topic and perhaps I make a mistake and in this case accept my apologizes

I want to know why Brussels Airlines is not looking for an Asian partners. With its european network BA and the African connexion would provide a interressant hub for a Asian airline and in the other side it would be interesting for BA to beneficiate of an Asian network.

There are many Asian partners and 2 solutions would be investigated. The first solution could be a well known company with a great density network like Singapour Airlines or Cathay or Malaysian or Thai or ... but I suppose that they manage already this kind of alliance.
The second solution would be contact a new company which is providing connexion betwwen Hong Kong and Europe.

Any idea ?

Thof

OrientThai · Post by **OrientThai** » 16 Jan 2007, 17:48

SN has already two Asian partners: Hainan and Etihad. A third one will come this summer: Jet Airways to BOM. SN is willing to code-share with a big Asian airline if they come to BRU.
But why would those airlines come to BRU?
CX, SQ, TG, ANA are already flying to AMS, FRA, CDG, LHR several times a day and have strong ties with airlines like BA (Oneworld), LH (Star Alliance) or AF/KLM (Skyteam). How could a regional carrier like SN be interesting for them?
The best solution? Taking some risks and fly with their own airplanes to Asia (to places like NRT, HKG, BKK) and code-share with the home carrier, which could provide enough traffic to sustain the route.

regi · Post by **regi** » 16 Jan 2007, 19:49

Some months before the final collapse of Sabena, they made some advertising in the belgian newspapers. One of the destinations was Madras. I still don't know why the belgian flag carrier needed to fly to Madras.

OrientThai · Post by **OrientThai** » 16 Jan 2007, 20:04

If I remember correctly Sabena was having good loads out of these flights with Indians going onwards to the USA. Sabena was at that time one of the few carriers (if not the only one) to fly directly between Madras and Europe. And today all the big european airlines are flying to MAA: AF, BA, LH...
Around that time (2000/2001) there were also some rumors about SN starting a new route from to BRU to Guangzhou but then came 9/11...
Those were the times...

thofman2 · Post by **thofman2** » 17 Jan 2007, 09:46

Ok there are already Asian partners but I was thinking about an alliance like Northwest and KLM on the north Atlantic !

Why they don't find about this kind of alliance. With Hainan and Etihad it is for me a point to point alliance but it is not really hub to hub connexion. May be with Jet Airways ?

sn-remember · Post by **sn-remember** » 25 Jan 2007, 13:56

regi wrote:... I still don't know why the belgian flag carrier needed to fly to Madras.

You are not the first one to complain over that destination.
Indeed I believe Sabena was not so happy at that time when they were induced to switch Mumbai with Chennai, Mumbay being the privilege of SR.

I simply want to state that Madras (now Chennai) is the 3d indian city in terms of economic weight after Mumbai and Delhi.
Although the IT industry is far from irrelevant, Chennai enjoys the relative proximity of Bangalore which is the nest of the IT business in India as everybody knows.

Compared to Mumbai and Delhi, Chennai airlinks are less dense, so I suppose the sabena route (3 wkly flight) could have proven successfull given proper marketing, fares, service and timetable. And as mentioned, at that time there was not so many competitors.

Today LH, to mention just this carrier, serves the city with a daily non stop B747 from FRA.

spotter1102 · Post by **spotter1102** » 18 Mar 2007, 22:47

Hello everybody ! :wave:

I saw on the Brussels Airport website that Jet Airways will lauch the daily BOM-BRU-EWR each way on 15 August 2007.

I have also read on a other website that Jet Airways plans to launch a New Delhi-Brussels-Toronto flight (also expected for 2007).

Has someone any more information ?

teach · Post by **teach** » 18 Mar 2007, 22:59

summer-2007-daily-bom-bru-ewr-operated- ... 19191.html