Brussels Airlines to end Nairobi flights

Brussels Airlines has announced plans to stop serving Kenya's capital Nairobi in the next four months.

The Belgium's flag carrier indicated in a statement that its regular service between Nairobi and Brussels will cease as from October 24, 2015. The airline's country manager, Pierre Declerck said the flights will be replaced by direct Lufthansa flights to and from Frankfurt.

According to the airline, which is in the Lufthansa Group, the decision to stop serving Kenya is in line with the group's Africa strategy, which calls for close collaboration among the group's airlines in Africa.

It said within the group's framework, the networks of the member carriers are regularly reviewed to offer greater flexibility to passengers and maximise the synergies.

"Our passengers from and to Kenya will have the options of our partners Swiss and Lufthansa, who will offer direct flights between Europe and Nairobi," it said.

Mr Declerck noted that the airline has been flying Kenyans, tourists, businessmen and women, conference delegates and diplomats to and from Nairobi since the start of its operations in 2002."

"As we hand over to our Lufthansa Group colleagues, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our passengers and business partners for their trust. All Swiss and Lufthansa flights out of Nairobi are operated in close co-operation with Brussels Airlines and I am convinced that our customers are in best hands with our partner airlines, " he added.

Brussels Airlines became Belgium's flag carrier following the demise of Sabena, a former state-owned carrier which went bust in 2001.