Lufthansa to start Nairobi from Oct 27

[sn-remember]

So .. it was to be expected ..
The "missing link" from FRA is now fulfilled;
https://www.aviation24.be/airlines_press_r ... -schedule/

It is not so good news for SN imho ..
I always thought that SN needed 2 daily departures to East AFI in order to "possess" the market :
(1) Bru-ebb-nbo-bru
(2) Bru-kgl-bjm-bru
Not having dailies creates a void within the star alliance system. Of course LH would eventually fill it. NBO is now served within star from Europe
- by SN 4 wkly (if I am not mistaken) on the bru-nbo-bjm route
- by LX daily on the ZRH-NBO-DAR route
- and now 4wkly by LH on the fra-nbo route (5 wkly from dec 11)
Note that NBO is not performing so well lately bcs of security issues in Kenia and therefore, some of the players could very well shrink their operation .. I still hope SN wiil reconsider their offering and do the opposite, upping their game to the 2 daily flights they need imho.
..
On a side note .. Remember SN tried ACC some yrs back ? And failed ?
My feelings tell me that if ACC had been coupled with ABJ for instance it could very well have performed better .. and rapidly reached the daily frequency business travellers want to such key destinations.
Of course, LH would start serving ACC (4 weekly) now using the A343 (iof the Privatair B737). Expect a daily frequency soon.
Grr ...

[airbuske]

I think we will see a switch between LH and SN.
SN will start again ACC and LH will start NBO.

[sn-remember]

Hope not ..
ACC is not so much important compared to NBO ito N-Atlantic trafic IMO.
DL have direct flights to ACC from jfk (Skyteam operation)
However there is only the FRA option within Star (plus ADD with ET connecting to IAD and YYZ)... that's why SN tried that market in the past.
It seems LH will serve NBO under the Jump operation .. meaning lower cost product.
..
IMO, Sn needs East-Afi and NBO is key to East-Afi.
We also have the TK offering within star, I agree that's makes a lot of seats available to NBO now and yields probably dropping. But that's the trends, SN should adapt and start thinking also about a Y- product on longer haul flights ?

[Flanker2]

East Africa is now a lost cause, profitability wise.
The ME3, TK and even Chinese airlines are flying directly there.
KQ isn't doing well, but what do you expect with so much competition flooding their hub.

IMO ACC is not worth it, yields are too low, too much competition.

But IMO, the safest bet, SN needs to reinforce its existing network in French-speaking Africa, by increasing frequencies and driving TK out and optimising longhaul feeding from Asia, while being more aggressive on taking away customers from AF/KL.
There are also still a few dots that AF/KL has that SN doesn't, so they should target those.

Also Nigeria. A lot of competition there too, but a much bigger market than ACC.

Also FBM, to finally complete their Centrafrican hub with Korongo. Eventually with a tag-on to JNB (or CPT).

If it were up to me, I would add 5 A333's for Africa alone and organise an investment fund to upgrade FBM for A330 operations. And I would be in front of Air China CEO's face at every turn he takes...

[rwandan-flyer]

IMO ACC is not worth it, yields are too low, too much competition.

Agree. SN has already ervced Accra, they suspended service some years ago. And Ghana economy is struggling since 2 years. Now Vueling and Air Portugal serves Accra.

[airazurxtror]

Kenya Tourism Board yesterday welcomed Lufthansa’s decision to re-launch flights to Nairobi saying it will boost the sector's recovery efforts.Lufthansa will from October 27 fly to Nairobi from Frankfurt, making a return to Kenya after an 18-year absence.
KTB managing director Muriithi Ndegwa said the flights will enhance Nairobi’s status as a regional hub. “This is bound to have a positive impact on Kenya’s tourism sector considering Germany is one of our key source markets,” said Muriithi. “It’s not just the German market that we will be targeting but also countries where Lufthansa flies to”.
Lufthansa will fly an Airbus A340-300 between Frankfurt and Nairobi four times a week in winter 2015/16 and five times a week from December 11. Lufthansa expects high demand among leisure travelers in the 6,320 kilometer- 8 hours 20 minutes flights.

- See more at: http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/lufthans ... sCzYW.dpuf

[sn26567]

Kenya Tourism Board yesterday welcomed Lufthansa’s decision to re-launch flights to Nairobi saying it will boost the sector's recovery efforts. Lufthansa will from October 27 fly to Nairobi from Frankfurt, making a return to Kenya after an 18-year absence.
KTB managing director Muriithi Ndegwa said the flights will enhance Nairobi’s status as a regional hub. “This is bound to have a positive impact on Kenya’s tourism sector considering Germany is one of our key source markets,” said Muriithi. “It’s not just the German market that we will be targeting but also countries where Lufthansa flies to”.

And how does the Kenya Tourism Board react on the cessation of SN flights after more than 18 years of presence?

[airazurxtror]

Until now, Lufthansa has relied on code-shared flights with partners Swiss and Brussels Airlines to connect their passengers to Nairobi.
Lufthansa expects great interest and high demand especially among leisure travellers.
Return tickets are priced starting from EUR649 (about Sh71,350), with business, premium economy and economy class offerings to be introduced as part of a strategy to make use of older A340-300s on routes that cannot be sustainably served with Lufthansa’s current aircraft configurations.

http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/busines ... index.html

[sn-remember]

And how does the Kenya Tourism Board react on the cessation of SN flights after more than 18 years of presence?

After 50+ yrs of presence I would say André !
I could'nt find a reference for the 60ies but I am pretty sure they were already operating NBO back in 1966.
The link I found is 1976
http://airwaysnews.com/html/timetable-a ... tory/23580

[sn26567]

And how does the Kenya Tourism Board react on the cessation of SN flights after more than 18 years of presence?

After 50+ yrs of presence I would say André !

I know it's much more than 18 years: I was only referring to the period LH was absent from NBO. And SN never stopped flying there: after the bankruptcy of Sabena, NBO was one of the first African destinations re-started by DAT (and operated by Birdy).

[airazurxtror]

Doesn't it remind you of an old story : Swissair taking over the Sabena, imposing its will on it, making use of it - and then letting it down.

[White Light]

I hope I am wrong, but my gut feeling tells me that the NBO/ACC swap tastes like a poisoned gift.

[sn26567]

I hope I am wrong, but my gut feeling tells me that the NBO/ACC swap tastes like a poisoned gift.

Like when Swissair asked Sabena to serve Madras in India?

[Flanker2]

If NBO makes more sense out of FRA because of better connectivity, then about any African route of SN's would do better out of FRA... I did insist a few years ago that we don't know LH's exact intentions with SN.

If LH takes full control of SN, LH can send all the routes to FRA to strengthen their Passage network for all we know.

NBO is a lost cause IMO, but this makes no difference whether it's out of BRU or FRA.
IMO it just does't make sense to release this route to LH when SN is operating it for so long and SN should continue even if they just break even, simply because Africa is SN's network.

[brusselsairlinesfan]

If NBO makes more sense out of FRA because of better connectivity, then about any African route of SN's would do better out of FRA... I did insist a few years ago that we don't know LH's exact intentions with SN.

If LH takes full control of SN, LH can send all the routes to FRA to strengthen their Passage network for all we know.

NBO is a lost cause IMO, but this makes no difference whether it's out of BRU or FRA.
IMO it just does't make sense to release this route to LH when SN is operating it for so long and SN should continue even if they just break even, simply because Africa is SN's network.

I do totally agree... Very sad to see them leaving NBO... and I dont't see more potential for them @ ACC...

[White Light]

For me, since a year or two, the LH/SN relationship has started to smell like the SR/SN relationship.
Has anyone any idea why SN agreed to the NBO/ACC swap ? Or what are the real reasons behind it.

[UAE777]

Has anyone any idea why SN agreed to the NBO/ACC swap ? Or what are the real reasons behind it.

Because they were likely losing tons of money on it, maybe!?

Nairobi is so close to the middle eastern hubs and so far east in Africa, whereas Belgium is so far in the west of Europe, the only feed (apart from Belgians themselves) must have been Americans these days.
With just 2 transatlantic flights, there is just no way they can fill a plane, not even a few times a week!
Lufthansa on the contrary has 30 daily transatlantics or so, so take a guess who's the better operator for whatever feed there is still remaining!? Better grow your US offering, or more will be lost in East Africa!

What a bunch of nostalgic whiners here btw, thinking that a little airport like BRU can serve the world.
In fact you guys should be happy Lufthansa lets your regional airline launch ACC instead, probably only because that place serves as anchor point to add frequencies to 3 existing and likely very profitable destinations, something everybody seems to forget now: the whole discussion is drenched in nostalgia (oh after 60 years _ lets forget about all the losses) and focused on a simple swap (NBO vs ACC), but you guys seem to forget about the extra frequencies on 3 other routes, which is what it may be all about in fact!!!
They give up on fighting Emirates etc (you really can't fight us if you aren't of equal size) and take on Air France (which they can fight very well _ AF is a complete mess): good decision.

[saratoga]

Lufthansa is claiming themselves the profitable flights, the leftovers for SN, german pilots working for SN (without being able to speak dutch or french!!!) ....where is this going to end?? Please SN, stand up for your self and kick those F****** germans out. History is repeating again.

[DannyVDB]

Hi all,

Sorry but I do not agree with some of the previous comments.

1) LH was/is seeking to have a series of destinations for their old A340-300 planes and that sounds to me like a good plan (with adapted seating). Nairobi is a logic destination in this context.
2) It has absolutely no sense to keep the three partner airlines on the route, that would be unnecessary competition.
3) Accra is an important destination. It is correct that Nairobi has UNEP and also a regional HQ of FAO (I used to work for them), but also Accra plays an important regional role to this regard. Moreover, it allows SN to reinforce also other West-African destinations.
4) What is happening now is NOT a mere shift to LH. This time it most certainly will be a swap (although that still needs to be confirmed). But don't forget that also the lucrative Douala/Yaounde market was handed over entirely to SN in the past!
5) Other network alignments occured also in Europe and they were IMHO quite good: e.g. Berlin, Hamburg, Hannover for SN, Munich and Frankfurt for LH; Basel for SN, dropped by LX.

My feeling is that LH/LX/SN are optimising the network and are reasoning from a group perspective which is good. Having a separate SN strategy has no sense at all.

Ans as a passenger, I do not really care who is flying what ... (as long as I do not have to fly every flight from FRA )

Just my 2 cents,
Danny

[Passenger]

The answer to most questions/statements here has been given a few days ago in the topic "BRU Winter 2015/2016: latest news, routes, airlines"

Adding ACC as well as increasing frequencies to no less than 3 other West-African destinations (and making KGL a non-stop route on top) is a much smarter move than holding on to a low frequency tag on flight to NBO as NBO is simply too far to the East in Africa to still hope for much feeding from the EU these days: IST and the ME3 hubs eat much of the cake on those EU to NBO traffic flows now as they offer shorter trips.
The exception is feed from the UK and the US, but here BRU lacks the vast US network to benefit from sufficient feed, so it's best to have NBO connected to the one hub which has the greatest US feed of them all and that is FRA. You do not want to offer your connecting passengers say a LAX-IAD-BRU-KGL-NBO when they can do a LAX-LHR-NBO or a LAX-DXB-NBO: have them do an LAX-FRA-NBO instead.

West-Africa is a completely different story: there the ME3 and TK are pretty weak from Europe due to their greographical disadvantage and the US feed is far less important as these countries are predominantly French speaking and far more focussed on Western-Europe still for which BRU is an excellent hub: on top of that, the upcoming ANA flight (as well as any future extra Asian feeders) will be able to feed meaningful and almost straight routes then, so better build that sector of the network with more non-stops and/or higher frequencies, over holding on to a thin route which is out of reach. Nobody in his right mind is going to do a NRT-BRU-KGL-NBO flight, but they will do say a NRT-BRU-ACC or any other West-African route: AF/KL definitely won't like this news.

Expect more of these flight swaps in future, as well as some other very interesting news regarding the integration of SN in the Lufthansa long haul product line up in order to align us even more with Lufthansa.

copy/pasted from this post of 10th June 2015:
https://www.aviation24.be/forums/viewtopic ... 20#p318153