Brussels Airlines has resumed direct flights to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) after a nine-year break.
State Department for Transport PS Mohamed Daghar said the six weekly flights have been buoyed by Kenya’s visa-free entry regime and Nairobi’s strategic location as a regional connecting hub.
According to the Kenyan Tourism Board, the new route will generate extra tourism business and boost Kenya’s economy.
“Connectivity is our key enabler in tourism arrivals into Kenya and we believe that Brussels Airlines will be a major boost towards this front,” said the Kenyan Tourism Board CEO June Chepkemei.
A direct flight between Brussels and Nairobi took off from Zaventem Airport on Monday.
The airline is targeting both leisure and business travellers. Tourists are increasingly finding their way to Kenya, and as Nairobi is home to the UN headquarters in Africa, diplomatic and business travel is also important.
"With the exception of Washington and New York, all our long-haul destinations are in Africa," said Dorothea von Boxberg, CEO of Brussels Airlines.
Federal Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib also stressed the importance of the new direct flight. "It is a win-win situation for both countries," Lahbib said. "This flight is a bridge between our two cultures and economies".
Nairobi is Brussels Airlines' 18th destination in sub-Saharan Africa.
Travel to sub-Saharan Africa accounts for some 20 per cent of all passengers carried by Brussels Airlines and represents 40 per cent of the airline's total revenue.