SABENA is launching a marketing campaign aimed at UK agents to help promote its growing long-haul network from Brussels.
The campaign will be launched at the end of the month and general manager UK and Ireland Marc Nelis said the carrier was keen to build on the 58% of UK passengers which already transfer in Brussels to other Sabena flights.
UK traffic accounts for 15% of Sabena’s foreign revenue.
Nelis said: “Transit passengers are very important to us.
“We are improving connections at Brussels and looking at a dedicated Sabena terminal.”
Connection times have recently been brought down to 30mins for European flights and 45mins for long-haul.
Last summer the carrier launched a minibus service which meets connecting passengers off UK flights to ensure they get to waiting aircraft on time.
This summer the Belgian carrier launches daily flights to Johannesburg and new Sao Paulo and New York Newark services from its Brussels hub.
Sabena’s Brussels-Johannesburg flights is timed for departure to coincide with services arriving from the UK. Theairline operates five main waves of flights coming into Brussels to meet long-haulconnections.
Long-haul services will be enhanced this year when new two-class Airbus A340s and A330s arrive in the fleet. These will be in new livery and have improved business-class cabins.
Nelis said Sabena is also looking at launching flights to India from Brussels to meet demand from UK passengers for flights to the sub-continent. These are expected to start with a thrice-weekly schedule in the winter to either Madras, Mumbai or Delhi.
Sabena’s UK summer network is improved with the launch of a thrice-weekly service from Jersey to Brussels. Nelis said the Jersey option was part of a strategy to build up leisure routes and would be made daily if demand is there.
The airline is looking at new services from the UK, but will wait until next summer before launching from either Teesside International, Sheffield, Southampton or Aberdeen.