Brussels Airport in Zaventem will further expand its long-haul offer in the coming years, with several new intercontinental destinations joining the network. From March 2026, Air China will launch direct flights from Brussels Airport to Beijing and Chengdu, adding two major Asian destinations for Belgian travellers. 

Beijing, China’s political and cultural heart, will be served from 24 March with five weekly flights, increasing to daily from 29 March for the summer season. 

Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province and home to world-famous cuisine, dramatic landscapes and the renowned giant panda research centre, will join the network on 26 March with three weekly flights. Chengdu is sometimes called Gaydu, as it’s more open to LGBTQIA+ people than other places in the People’s Republic of China. 

With these additions, Air China significantly strengthens the airport’s Asian offer and its position within the Star Alliance network, offering travellers onward connections throughout China and Asia.

Brazil

In June 2026, LATAM Airlines from Chile will introduce the first direct passenger route between Brussels Airport and South America in over 25 years. 

The airline will operate three weekly non-stop flights to São Paulo, Latin America’s largest metropolis and a major economic hub. This new route re-establishes a direct connection with Brazil, creating opportunities for business travellers, tourists and the large Brazilian community in Belgium. 

It also further reinforces the airport’s intercontinental network, complementing LATAM’s already strong cargo presence at Brussels Airport.

Winter 2025-2025

This winter season, Brussels Airport is offering direct flights to 135 destinations, including two new additions: Sälen in Sweden and Chongqing in China. 

The winter network also welcomes a new airline, Smartwings, operating 12 weekly flights to Prague in Czechia using quieter, lower-emission Airbus A220 aircraft. 

The offer to Asia continues to grow, with Hainan Airlines introducing three weekly flights to Chongqing since 22 November, while Cathay Pacific maintains its four weekly Hong Kong flights. 

The airport’s Asian network now includes several direct destinations: Tokyo in Japan, Bangkok in Thailand, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Chongqing.

Winter sports enthusiasts can look forward to a new weekly TUI fly service to Scandinavian Mountains Airport near Sälen, starting on 20 December, while typical sunshine destinations such as Spain, Thailand and Singapore remain popular. 

Transavia is also expanding its offer to Morocco with three weekly flights to Agadir from 3 November.

Caribbean leaving the offering

Meanwhile, Gazet van Antwerpen noticed the white beaches in the Caribbean are increasingly out of reach from Zaventem because direct flights are no longer considered profitable. Travellers who want a Caribbean holiday will now mostly need to depart from Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Frankfurt in Germany, Paris in France or even Madrid in Spain. 

According to travel experts, the era of holiday charter flights that once operated directly from Brussels Airport to destinations such as Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic appears to have ended.

Via Germany

During the Christmas period, those seeking tropical sunshine through Neckermann are advised to drive first to Düsseldorf in North Rhine-Westphalia – about two hours from Brussels – and then take a flight to Munich in Bavaria, where they can board an onward flight to Punta Cana. 

TUI travellers, meanwhile, currently depart from Amsterdam with a stopover in Jamaica before reaching their final destination in Mexico.

For decades, flying directly from Brussels to the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Jamaica or other Caribbean islands was standard practice. Aviation journalist Luk De Wilde confirms that this is no longer possible today, aligning with a recent blog post by former Brussels Airlines spokesperson and aviation enthusiast Geert Sciot.

Late 90s

From the late 1990s onwards, direct long-haul holiday flights were the result of strong cooperation between major Belgian tour operators and charter airlines such as Sobelair and Citybird. 

De Wilde explains that such direct services are no longer economically viable. Aircraft need to operate at full capacity, but this is no longer achievable due to declining Belgian interest in these destinations, high fuel prices, and the fact that hotels in those regions are already heavily in demand among North American tourists.

He adds that travelling to a paradisiacal Caribbean beach was a major trend in the late 1990s, when advertising on the Belgian market was intense and competition between tour operators like Jetair and Neckermann pushed many people to book. Many travellers wanted to experience those idyllic beaches at least once. 

Today, however, that enthusiasm has faded. Many who visited now feel it was enjoyable but not something they need to repeat.

Now trending

As a result, tour operators have increasingly struggled to fill the large aircraft required for long direct flights. 

In recent years, the Canary Islands have grown significantly as a winter destination, alongside places such as Cape Verde (Cabo Verde) and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. These destinations are closer, can be served with smaller and more cost-efficient aircraft, and also offer warm winter temperatures.

The demise of the Dominican Republic?

This trend does not mean the Dominican Republic will no longer see Belgian tourists. According to Koen Van den Bosch, CEO of the Association of Flemish Travel Agencies (Vlaamse Vereniging Reisbureaus, VVR), departing from Schiphol or Frankfurt is no longer a barrier for many Belgian travellers, which was not the case 10 to 15 years ago. Today, it is possible to take a train from nearly any Belgian station to Schiphol, arriving directly underneath the airport.

Lieven Bosschaert of the Ostend-based travel agency Travelworld takes a more cautious view, noting that the Caribbean market is suffering now that travellers must be told they can no longer fly directly from Brussels. He also points to competition from destinations like Dubai, which require shorter flights and have smaller time differences with Belgium.

Social media

Bosschaert has also observed that the Caribbean, particularly the Dominican Republic, has been losing popularity for years, following the surge it experienced at the end of the 1990s. 

The Dominican Republic is largely a beach destination with fewer cultural activities, and in the era of social media, travellers often want to share more varied experiences than ten days of the same white-sand beach.

Other faded stars

The disappearance of these traditional long-haul charters from Brussels extends beyond the Caribbean. In past decades, charter flights from Brussels also operated directly to Phuket, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Koen Van den Bosch emphasises that although the loss of direct long-haul holiday flights from Brussels is regrettable and sometimes means an extra stopover, it does not prevent travellers from reaching these destinations. 

He notes that Brussels Airport now offers far more direct connections to a wide range of Asian destinations than in the past, and will soon regain direct links to South America as well.

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