Dublin based CityJet will join bmi Regional and Flybe in April this year to provide three additional wet leased single aisle jets to Brussels Airlines.
These aircraft, three new Sukhoi SSJ100’s, will be deployed under an ACMI lease on lower density European routes similar to Flybe’s Bombardier Q440NG’s and bmi Regional’s ERJ145’s.
Brussels Airlines had last year already given notice that their fleet of AVRO’s will be phased out and several have left service in 2016 with the remaining eight such aircraft leaving progressively between now and Q4 of this year.
This move will see the Russian built SSJ100 for the first time make an appearance for a mainstream European airline and while flying in the livery of CityJet for the contract duration of initially two years, will the service standard on board be the same as on Brussels Airlines’ own flights.
While no routes for the SSJ100 have been announced as yet, the details will be published once available from the airline.
Brussels Airlines serves 19 destinations in North, West and East Africa where Entebbe, Kigali and Bujumbura are served with five, six and one flight respectively per week.
