Air India and the Lufthansa Group signed a memorandum of understanding in Brussels on 17 February to develop a Joint Business Agreement covering passenger and cargo traffic between India and Europe. The deal explicitly includes subsidiary Brussels Airlines, heralding a potential revival of direct India–Belgium services absent since 2019.
Phase one will see the partners align schedules and pricing across their hubs, enabling same-day connections between Brussels and Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru via Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich. Joint sales teams will target pharmaceutical and diamond-trade clients—two sectors that account for 40 % of Belgium’s exports to India.
In phase two, the airlines intend to codeshare on nonstop flights once Air India receives long-range A350-900s in late 2026. Brussels Airport has offered incentive packages, citing strong pent-up demand from Belgium’s 19,000-strong Indian diaspora, IT service suppliers based in Leuven, and EU civil-servant traffic to Delhi.
![Air India-Lufthansa Pact Enlists Brussels Airlines, Promising Denser India–Belgium Connectivity]()
For passengers eager to capitalize on these forthcoming nonstop links, arranging visas in advance will be crucial. VisaHQ’s Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) offers a quick, fully digital way to check requirements and submit applications for Indian, Schengen and transit visas alike—streamlining the paperwork so travelers can focus on the faster connections promised by the new partnership.
From a mobility perspective, the agreement could shorten typical door-to-door journey times by up to four hours and reduce the need for Schengen-zone transits—a boon for Indian passport-holders who often face tight visa timelines. Frequent-flyer reciprocity and through-checked baggage will also simplify corporate travel policies.
The pact still requires antitrust clearance, but legal experts expect approval because existing competition on India–EU routes remains robust. Should regulators insist on slot concessions, Brussels Airlines is likely to benefit, positioning Brussels as the Benelux gateway for India-bound traffic.
Phase one will see the partners align schedules and pricing across their hubs, enabling same-day connections between Brussels and Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru via Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich. Joint sales teams will target pharmaceutical and diamond-trade clients—two sectors that account for 40 % of Belgium’s exports to India.
In phase two, the airlines intend to codeshare on nonstop flights once Air India receives long-range A350-900s in late 2026. Brussels Airport has offered incentive packages, citing strong pent-up demand from Belgium’s 19,000-strong Indian diaspora, IT service suppliers based in Leuven, and EU civil-servant traffic to Delhi.
For passengers eager to capitalize on these forthcoming nonstop links, arranging visas in advance will be crucial. VisaHQ’s Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) offers a quick, fully digital way to check requirements and submit applications for Indian, Schengen and transit visas alike—streamlining the paperwork so travelers can focus on the faster connections promised by the new partnership.
From a mobility perspective, the agreement could shorten typical door-to-door journey times by up to four hours and reduce the need for Schengen-zone transits—a boon for Indian passport-holders who often face tight visa timelines. Frequent-flyer reciprocity and through-checked baggage will also simplify corporate travel policies.
The pact still requires antitrust clearance, but legal experts expect approval because existing competition on India–EU routes remains robust. Should regulators insist on slot concessions, Brussels Airlines is likely to benefit, positioning Brussels as the Benelux gateway for India-bound traffic.
