WHY IT RATES: Increasing airlift to Africa is good for everyone, and two fantastic airlines are joining forces in hopes of doing just that.—Michael Schottey, TravelPulse Director of Digital Content
Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Edelweiss, Eurowings, Lufthansa and SWISS will now fully integrate their sales activities in Africa. The Lufthansa Group airlines had already successfully aligned their sales structures for corporate customers and travel agencies in many markets worldwide. Now the integration will be continued in Africa, as another important milestone towards having “one face to the customer” and offering harmonized products and services across the globe.
New sales headquarters for sub-Saharan Africa in Brussels
Brussels Airlines has a strong presence and expertise in Africa, with a dense network of 23 destinations, especially in West and Central Africa. To share this experience and in order to support the integration and leverage synergies and efficiencies within the Lufthansa Group, the headquarters for all sales activities in sub-Saharan Africa will be located in Brussels at the Brussels Airlines headquarters.
“With our long-standing experience in the African market and our very engaged employees, we perfectly complement the Lufthansa Group sales presence in Africa and especially in the Sub-Saharan part of the continent. Our joint customers will now benefit from an increased flexibility thanks to a global offer, covering the entire Lufthansa Group Africa network”, adds Christina Foerster, CEO of Brussels Airlines.
“One face to the customer”
With this joint commercial set-up, the existing local sales teams in Africa will take over responsibilities for all airline brands of the Group. “Customers will benefit from a single point of contact and a continued local presence. This enables us to be close to our markets and customers, to serve their specific needs and to develop harmonized offerings in the future” says Dr. Stefan Kreuzpaintner, Vice President Sales EMEA of the Lufthansa Group. “Our sales colleagues can now offer all our brands, with joint products and packages”.
Lufthansa Group focuses on Africa
Africa is a strategic growth area for the Lufthansa Group as all carriers operate to and from this continent. With the full acquisition of Brussels Airlines in January 2017 the Lufthansa Group extended its route network in Africa from 21 to 44 destinations. Brussels Airlines fits perfectly into the existing Group network due to its strong focus on Africa.
Today, the Lufthansa Group is the second biggest European airline group in Africa, offering a total of 311 weekly departures between Europe and Africa.
Starting in the upcoming 2018/19 winter schedule, the Lufthansa Group will increase its offering in Africa:
—Austrian Airlines will open new Vienna-Cape Town (South Africa) route, offering two flights per week.
—Lufthansa will change its Frankfurt-Addis Ababa connection to a non-stop service, with a reduced flight time by more than two hours.
