ANGOLA: Luanda Overtakes Hong Kong As Most Expensive City For Expatriates To Live In

Mercer’s annual Cost of Living Survey finds African, Asian, and European cities dominate the list of most expensive locations for working abroad

- Luanda overtakes Hong Kong as the most expensive city for expatriates to live in according to Mercer’s 23rd annual Cost of Living Survey.

- Victoria in the Seychelles ranks 14th most expensive city sharing the same ranking with Moscow.

Cape Town, Blantyre and Windhoek ranks amongst the 15 cheapest cities globally.

In a rapidly changing world, mobility has become a core component of multinational organizations’ global talent strategy. To support the growing number of international assignees working in an increased number of locations, organizations are focusing on evaluating assignments from a cultural perspective, preparing for regional and lateral moves, and modifying compensation approaches to stay competitive.

As organizations grapple with these challenges, they are working hard to accommodate the needs of their workforce and to support employees’ careers. According to Mercer’s (www.Mercer.com) 2017 Global Talent Trends Study, fair and competitive pay as well as opportunities for promotion are top priorities for employees this year – not surprising given the current climate of uncertainty and change.

As a result, multinational organizations are carefully assessing the cost of expatriate packages for their international assignees. Mercer’s 23rd annual Cost of Living Survey finds that factors like instability of housing markets and inflation for goods and services contribute to the overall cost of doing business in today’s global environment.

“Globalization of the marketplace is well documented with many companies operating in multiple locations around the world and promoting international assignments to enhance the experience of future managers,” said Ilya Bonic, Senior Partner and President of Mercer’s Career business. “There are numerous personal and organizational advantages for sending employees overseas, whether for long- or short-term assignments, including career development by obtaining global experience, the creation and transfer of skills, and the re-allocation of resources.”

Mercer’s 2017 Cost of Living Survey finds Asian and European cities – particularly Hong Kong (2), Tokyo (3), Zurich (4), and Singapore (5) – top the list of most expensive cities for expatriates. The costliest city, driven by cost of goods and security, is Luanda (1), the capital of Angola view the Top 15 Cities Ranking here: http://APO.af/hrS2vG). Other cities appearing in the top 10 of Mercer’s costliest cities for expatriates are Seoul (6), Geneva (7), Shanghai (8), New York City (9), and Bern (10). The world’s least expensive cities for expatriates, according to Mercer’s survey, are Tunis (209), Bishkek (208), and Skopje (206).

Mercer's authoritative survey is one of the world’s most comprehensive, and is designed to help multinational companies and governments determine compensation allowances for their expatriate employees. New York is used as the base city and all cities are compared against it.

Currency movements are measured against the US dollar. The survey includes over 400 cities across five continents and measures the comparative cost of more than 200 items in each location, including housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods, and entertainment.

“While historically mobility, talent management, and rewards have been managed independently of one another, organizations are now using a more holistic approach to enhance their mobility strategies. Compensation is important to be competitive and must be determined appropriately based on the cost of living, currency, and location,” said Mr. Bonic.

Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
Only three European cities remain in the top 10 list of most expensive cities for expatriates.

Zurich (4) is still the most costly European city on the list, followed by Geneva (7) and Bern (10). Moscow (14) and St. Petersburg (36) surged fifty-three and one hundred and sixteen places from last year respectively, due to the strong appreciation of the ruble against the US dollar and the cost of goods and services. Meanwhile, London (30), Aberdeen (146) and Birmingham (147) dropped thirteen, sixty-one and fifty-one spots respectively as a result of the pound weakening against the US dollar following the Brexit vote. Copenhagen (28) fell four places from 24 to 28. Oslo (46) is up thirteen spots from last year, while Paris fell eighteen places to rank 62.

Other Western European cities dropped in the rankings as well, mainly due to the weakening of local currencies against the US dollar. Vienna (78) and Rome (80) fell in the ranking by 24 and 22 spots, respectively. The German cities of Munich (98), Frankfurt (117), and Berlin (120) dropped significantly as did Dusseldorf (122) and Hamburg (125).

Despite moderate price increases in most of the European cities, European currencies have weakened against the US dollar, which pushed most Western European cities down in the ranking,” explained Ms. Constantin-Métral. “Additionally, other factors like the Eurozone’s economy have impacted these cities.

As a result of local currencies depreciating against the US dollar, some cities in Eastern and Central Europe, including Prague (132) and Budapest (176) fell in the ranking, while Minsk (200) and Kiev (163) jumped four and thirteen spots, respectively, despite stable accommodations in these locations.

Ranking 17, Tel Aviv jumped two spots from last year and continues to be the most expensive city in the Middle East for expatriates followed by Dubai (20), Abu Dhabi (23), and Riyadh (52), which have all climbed in this year’s ranking. Jeddah (117), Muscat (92), and Doha (81) are among the least expensive cities in the region. Cairo (183) is the least expensive city in the region plummeting ninety-two spots from last year following a major devaluation of its local currency (view the Bottom 15 Cities Ranking here: http://APO.af/4AAhwv).

Egypt’s decision to allow its currency to float freely in return for a 12 billion dollar loan over three years to help strengthen its economy resulted in the massive devaluation of the Egyptian Pound by more than 100% against the US dollar, pushing Cairo down the ranking” said Ms. Constantin-Métral.”

Quite a few African cities continue to rank high in this year’s survey, reflecting high living costs and prices of goods for expatriate employees (view the African Cities Ranking here: http://APO.af/pCXLBW). Luanda (1) takes the top spot as the most expensive city for expatriates across Africa and globally despite its currency weakening against the US dollar.

Luanda is followed by Victoria (14), Ndjamena (16), and Kinshasa (18). Tunis falls six spots to rank 209 as the least expensive city in the region and overall.

Asia Pacific

Five of the top 10 cities in this year’s ranking are in Asia. Hong Kong (2) is the most expensive city as a result of its currency pegged to the US dollar, which drove up the cost of accommodations locally. This global financial center is followed by Tokyo (3), Singapore (5), Seoul (6), and Shanghai (8).

“The strengthening of the Japanese yen along with the high costs of expatriate consumer goods and a dynamic housing market pushed Japanese cities up in the ranking,” said Ms. Constantin-Métral. “However, the majority of Chinese cities fell in the ranking due to the weakening of the Chinese yuan against the US dollar.”

Australian cities have all experienced further jumps up the global ranking since last year due to the strengthening of the Australian dollar. Sydney (25), Australia’s most expensive city for expatriates, gained seventeen places in the ranking along with Melbourne (46) and Perth (50) which went up twenty-five and nineteen spots, respectively.

India’s most expensive city, Mumbai (57), climbed twenty-five places in the ranking due to its rapid economic growth, inflation on the goods and services basket and a stable currency against the US Dollar. This most populous city in India is followed by New Delhi (99) and Chennai (135) which rose in the ranking by thirty-one and twenty-three spots, respectively. Bengaluru (166) and Kolkata (184), the least expensive Indian cities, climbed in the ranking as well.

Elsewhere in Asia, Bangkok (67) jumped seven places from last year. Jakarta (88) and Hanoi (100) also rose in the ranking, up five and six places, respectively. Karachi (201) and Bishkek (208) remain the region’s least expensive cities for expatriates.

The Americas

Cities in the United States are the most expensive locations in the Americas, with New York City (9) ranked as the costliest city, climbing two spots from last year. San Francisco (22) and Los Angeles (24) follow, having climbed four and three spots respectively. Among other major US cities, Chicago (32) is up two places, Boston (51) is down four places, and Seattle is up seven places. Portland (115) and Winston Salem (140) remain the least expensive surveyed cities for expatriates in the US.

Nathalie Constantin-Métral, Principal at Mercer with responsibility for compiling the survey ranking, said, “Overall, US cities either remained stable in the ranking or have slightly increased due to the movement of the US dollar against the majority of currencies worldwide.”

In South America, Brazilian cities Sao Paulo (27) and Rio de Janeiro (56) surged 101 and 100 spots, respectively, due to the strengthening of the Brazilian real against the US dollar. Buenos Aires, the Argentina capital and financial hub ranked 40 followed by Santiago (67) and Montevideo, Uruguay (65), which jumped forty-one and fifty-four places, respectively. Other cities in South America that rose on the list of costliest cities for expatriates include Lima (104) and Havana (151).

Dropping from 94th position, San Jose, Costa Rica (110) experienced the largest drop in the region as the US dollar strengthened against the Costa Rican colon. Caracas in Venezuela has been excluded from the ranking due to the complex currency situation. Depending on which exchange rate is being used, the city would arrive at the top or at the bottom of the ranking.

“Inflationary concerns continued to cause some South American cities to rise in the ranking, whereas the weakening of the local currencies in some of the region’s cities caused them to drop in the ranking,” said Ms. Constantin-Métral.

Up thirty-five places from last year, Vancouver (107) has overtaken Toronto (119) to become the most expensive Canadian city in the ranking, followed by Montreal (129) and Calgary (143). Ranking 152, Ottawa is the least expensive city in Canada. “The Canadian dollar has appreciated in value triggering the major jumps in this year’s ranking,” explained Ms. Constantin-Métral.

SAUDI ARABIA: Flynas Celebrates New Service Connecting Riyadh And Abu Dhabi

Launch of the five-times-per-week service between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi further strengthens flynas’ codeshare agreement with Etihad Airways

Riyadh, 16 December, 2015: Marking an important milestone in its planned growth strategy, the Saudi Arabian national carrier flynas today inaugurated its new service connecting Riyadh and Abu Dhabi with non-stop flights operating five days per week.

Highlighting flynas’ success in strategically expanding its footprint in key markets across the region, the launch of the new service makes Abu Dhabi the fourth destination to be added to the airline’s GCC network after Dubai, Kuwait and Bahrain and expands the leading low-cost carrier’s reach to a total of 26 destinations within and outside of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

Commenting on the launch of the new service, Bander Al Mohanna, NAS Holding CEO, said: “We are delighted to touch down in Abu Dhabi with the launch of this new five-times-per-week service that connects the two capitals while offering convenient and affordable air travel options to guests traveling in both directions.

Adding Abu Dhabi to our GCC route network is an important strategic step for flynas due to multiple reasons, including our codeshare agreement with Etihad Airways as well as the long-standing friendship and the strong bilateral business and economic ties shared by the two nations. Moreover, Abu Dhabi’s growing prominence as both a leading family-friendly tourism destination and a strategic business hub makes the opening of the new route a highly attractive proposition for Saudi travelers.”

“The service also takes our codeshare partnership with Etihad Airways to a whole new level, creating further opportunity for growth as we soar into the future with a renewed business strategy to continue expanding our reach into new markets with sheer confidence and optimism,” Bander Al Mohanna added.

Offering many benefits to flynas guests traveling from KSA, the new service strengthens flynas’ codeshare partnership with the UAE’s national airline Etihad Airways, which allows flynas to place its “XY” flight code on over 200 Etihad Airways’ flights between Abu Dhabi and 20 international destinations, including Amsterdam, Brussels, Casablanca, Geneva, Islamabad, Jakarta, Karachi, Kuala Lumpur, Lahore, London, Manchester, Paris, São Paulo, Seychelles, Singapore, Zurich, and subsequently on flights operating to the Indian subcontinent over the coming months, subject to regulatory approvals.

As part of the agreement, flynas flights can be sold to over 100 destinations around the world. Moreover, Etihad Airways will further promote the new service – providing additional value to flynas’ network throughout KSA.

“Our codeshare agreement with flynas was initiated over three years ago, and the partnership has developed into an outstanding commercial success. Importantly, we are providing the increasing numbers of business and leisure travelers with enhanced travel options into and out of KSA,” said Kevin Knight, Etihad Airways’ Chief Strategy and Planning Officer.

“We are delighted to build on this success by codesharing on flynas’ new flights between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, which complements Etihad Airways’ 13 weekly flights between the two cities. We congratulate flynas on the launch of this new service, which will create new value for our companies and increase travel options for our guests,” Kevin Knight added.

Welcoming flynas’ inaugural flight in Abu Dhabi, Eng. Mohamed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports, said: “We are pleased to welcome flynas’ entry into the UAE capital. This new service is in line with our strategy of further developing our airline portfolio while providing passengers with a world-class travel experience whether they are traveling for business or leisure. The opening of this strategic route also successfully complements the collaborative efforts made by Abu Dhabi Airports and Abu Dhabi Tourism and Cultural Authority to further strengthen Abu Dhabi’s position as one of the leading tourist destinations regionally and internationally. From providing efficient and timely ground handling processes to smooth and easy flow of passengers at the airport, we look forward to fully cooperating with flynas to ensure the success of this new service.”

“The new service has been specifically timed to coincide with the afternoon departure of Etihad Airways’ connecting banks. This provides excellent connections to Etihad Airways’ network eastbound, specifically to Pakistan, India and Far East, increases flynas’ visibility around the world and opens up KSA to a larger number of business and religious travelers,” added Bander Al Mohanna.

In celebration of the occasion, flynas also hosted a gala dinner at Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa by Anantara, Abu Dhabi, which was attended by senior executives from Etihad Airways and Abu Dhabi Airports in addition to other government dignitaries and business partners.

The new route will operate every Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday – departing Riyadh at 9:35am to land in Abu Dhabi at 12:35pm local time while the return leaves Abu Dhabi at 2:45pm, arriving into Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport at 3:45pm local time.

UAE: Emirates Second Daily Flight To Geneva

Emirates will be expanding its operation in Switzerland with an addition of a second daily service to Geneva effective June 1, 2016. The second daily flight will double capacity on the route and represents an overall increase of 26 per cent for Emirates in Switzerland.

The new flight will be operated by a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in a three-class configuration, with eight Private Suites in First Class, 42 lie flat seats in Business Class, and 310 spacious seats in Economy Class.

Thierry Aucoc, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Europe and Russia said: “With natural landmarks like Lake Geneva, the Alps and Jura mountains, Geneva is an attractive destination. It also hosts the highest number of international organisations, like Europe’s United Nations and the Red Cross, making it a global hub for diplomacy and banking. Demand is strong year-round, with high traffic from Thailand, Australia, Hong Kong and the Indian Ocean, with travellers visiting the city for business and pleasure.”

Emirates flight EK83 will depart Dubai International Airport at 14:55hrs and arrive in Geneva at 19:50hrs. The outbound flight EK84 will depart Geneva at 21:45hrs and arrive in Dubai at 06:10hrs the following day.

With an additional cargo capacity of almost 20 tonnes per day in each direction, Emirates SkyCargo will offer better access for Swiss companies to economies around the world. Exports from Geneva include pharmaceutical products, automobile spare parts, chemicals and semi-conductors. The presence of international organisations like the Red Cross also generates high humanitarian cargo traffic on the route.

SWITZERLAND: SWISS Feb – Aug 2016 Boeing 777 European Operations

In recent schedule update, SWISS has further updated planned Boeing 777-300ER operation within Europe, which sees the 777 also scheduled to operate service to Athens, Prague and Venice, while overall 777 European operation extended into August 2016.

As of 17DEC15, planned 777-300ER European operation as follow.

eff 08FEB16 Zurich – Geneva LX2802/2807, 777-300ER operation extended until August 2016
08FEB16 – 18FEB16 Day x6
19FEB16 – 25MAR16 Day 357 (Except 12MAR16 – 19MAR16)
27MAR16 Day 7
29MAR16 – 06APR16 Day x4
07APR16 – 29AUG16 Daily

on 24MAR16, 777-300ER will operate service LX2806/2811

eff 08FEB16 Zurich – Barcelona LX1956/1957, 777-300ER operation added in late-March 2016
08FEB16 – 18FEB16 Day x56
19FEB16 – 25FEB16 Day 245
01MAR16 – 10MAR16 Day 24
22MAR16 – 24MAR16 Day 24

eff 08FEB16 Zurich – Frankfurt LX1072/1073, 777-300ER operation added in May and June 2016
08FEB16 – 19FEB16 Day x6
23FEB16 – 22MAR16 Day 24
03MAY16 – 06MAY16 Day 25
01JUN16 – 08JUN16 Day x67

eff 12FEB16 Zurich – London Heathrow No changes to planned 777-300ER operation
LX326/327 12FEB16 / 13FEB16 / 20FEB16
LX318/319 13FEB16 / 20FEB16

eff 27FEB16 Zurich – Athens LX1830/1831, 777-300ER operation added for this route
27FEB16 – 26MAR16 Day 6
17APR16 – 01MAY16 Day 7
07MAY16 – 05JUN16 Day 67
03JUL16 Day 7

eff 27FEB16 Zurich – Hanover 777-300ER moving 2 weeks earlier instead of mid-March 2016, while operation extended into August 2016
LX814/815
13MAR16 – 18MAR16 Day 357
01APR16 – 07APR16 Day x1
09APR16 – 13APR16 Day 367
20APR16 – 27APR16 Day 3
01MAY16 – 09MAY16 Day x56
16MAY16 – 23MAY16 Day 1
01JUN16 – 08JUN16 Daily
01JUL16 – 08JUL16 Daily
01AUG16 – 08AUG16 Daily

LX828/829
27FEB16 – 14MAR16 Day 6
15MAR16 – 17MAR16 Day 246
18MAR16 – 26MAR16 Day 6
02APR16 – 09APR16 Day 46
24APR16 – 29APR16 Day 257
05MAY16 Day 4

eff 01APR16 Zurich – Prague 777-300ER operation added for this route
LX1486/1487
01APR16 – 07APR16 Daily
09APR16 – 15APR16 Day x14
19APR16 – 29APR16 Day 235
01MAY16 – 09MAY16 Day x6
11MAY16 – 03JUN16 Day x67
04JUN16 – 09JUN16 Day x5
01JUL16 – 08JUL16 Day x7
01AUG16 – 07AUG16 Daily

LX1498/1499
01APR16 – 06APR16 Day x467
15APR16 – 22APR16 Day 5
01MAY16 – 08MAY16 Day x34
13MAY16 – 28MAY16 Day 56
01JUN16 – 08JUN16 Daily

eff 03APR16 Zurich – Venice 777-300ER operation added for this route
LX1664/1665
03APR16 – 10APR16 Day 7
12APR16 – 19APR16 Day 27
01MAY16 – 08MAY16 Day x146
11MAY16 – 02JUN16 Day x56 (No 777 service on 23MAY16)
04JUN16 – 08JUN16 Day x45
01JUL16 – 08JUL16 Daily
01AUG16 – 07AUG16 Daily

777-300ER also scheduled to operate LX1660/1661 on 06MAY16

SWISS’ planned 777-300ER operation to Hamburg and Malaga on Saturdays, between 27FEB16 and 26MAR16, is now cancelled.

TURKEY: Another Drowned Kid Found On Turkish Beach

Refugees pray on a highway In Turkey

A four-year-old Syrian girl's body has washed up on a beach in western Turkey, state media says, just weeks after images of drowned Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi shook the world.

The yet-to-be identified girl was found lifeless on a beach in the Aegean town of Cesme in Izmir province after a boat carrying 15 Syrians to the Greek island of Chios sank.

It said the Turkish coast guard rescued the remaining 14 Syrians, including eight children, from the inflatable boat. The girl appeared to be the only casualty.

Harrowing pictures of three-year-old Syrian asylum seeker Aylan, whose body was found washed up on a Turkish beach after the boat carrying his family to the Greek island of Kos sank, caused an outpouring of emotion around the world.

The response pressured European leaders to step up their response to the migrant crisis.

But two weeks later EU members are still at odds over how to accommodate the tens of thousands of new arrivals.

Turkish deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus said on Friday the Turkish coast guard had rescued over 53,000 asylum seekers from stricken boats since the beginning of the year.

He said around 274 asylum seekers had lost their lives in Turkish waters this year seeking to leave the country by sea for Greece.

In another recent tragedy, 22 people who had left Turkey drowned on Tuesday when their wooden boat sank off Kos.

Asylum seekers have in recent days turned to Turkey's land borders with Greece and Bulgaria to avoid the sea voyage that has cost over 2,600 people their lives in the Mediterranean this year.

Several hundred asylum seekers spent a third day camped in and around the Turkish border city of Edirne, which lies 10 kilometres from the Greek border and is being promoted on social media as a safer route out of Turkey than sea journey in overcrowded dinghies.

Under an "open-door" policy championed by president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey has taken in 2.2 million Syrian asylum seekers since the conflict in Syria erupted in 2011.

Mr Kurtulmus said Turkey has so far spent almost $11 billion (6 billion euros) to provide for Syrian refugees.

International Organisation of Immigration says a record 473,887 asylum seekers crossed into Europe

A record 473,887 asylum seekers have crossed the Mediterranean to Europe so far this year, the International Organisation for Migration said on Friday, including at least 182,000 Syrians — almost 40 per cent of the total.

The total represents an increase of almost 9,000 from the total the Geneva-based agency gave on Tuesday. But the rate of increase has slowed.

On Tuesday, the IOM said the number of crossings had jumped by more than 32,000 since the previous Friday.

The EU's Eurostat statistics agency said the EU received 213,000 asylum applications from April to June this year, a jump of 85 per cent from the same period in 2014, with over one third coming from Syria or Afghanistan.

It said Germany had the highest number of new applicants, with more than a third of the total for the EU, while Hungary was the country that received the most asylum applications relative to its population size.

Applications from Kosovo, regarded as a "safe" country by most of the EU, dropped sharply in the period, from the top berth with 50,000 requests in the first quarter to just over 10,000 one quarter later.

Across the EU almost 600,000 applications were pending at the end of June, Eurostat said, with 52 per cent of those being processed in Germany.

The European Union must know that Croatia will not become a migrant 'hotspot'. We have hearts, but we also have head.Croatia's prime minister, Zoran Milanovi

Croatia said it cannot and would not accept the burden of thousands of asylum seekers any longer, nor register or accommodate them.

Faced with an influx of more than 13,000 migrants in just over two days, prime minister Zoran Milanovic said on Friday he had called a session of Croatia's National Security Council and that it was time to deal with the problem in a different way

"We cannot register and accommodate these people any longer," he told a news conference.

"They will get food, water and medical help, and then they can move on. The European Union must know that Croatia will not become a migrant 'hotspot'. We have hearts, but we also have heads."

In response, Slovenia accused Croatia on of breaking the rules of the EU and the Schengen zone of border-free travel.

Interior ministry state secretary Bostjan Sefic said Slovenia expected around 1,000 asylum seekers to cross from Croatia in the next 24 hours.

Meanwhile, Dutch prosecutors said on Friday they had arrested two Syrians suspected of operating a large people-smuggling ring that brought hundreds of Syrian refugees into Europe.

Following a year-long investigation, Dutch authorities arrested a 35-year-old Syrian man living in the southern city of Eindhoven as well as his 26-year-old cousin.

Europol, Europe's police agency, is tracking as many as 30,000 suspected people smugglers who are taking advantage of large flows into the continent of asylum seekers escaping conflict in the Middle East and Africa.
Vatican takes in first Syrian refugee family

Responding to a call from Pope Francis for every Church parish to house refugees, the Vatican City said on Friday it had taken in a family that had fled the war in Syria.

The family — a father, mother and their two children — came from Damascus and are Melkite Greek Catholics, a Christian church with close ties to the Roman Catholic Church.

The Vatican said in a statement the family, which was not named, arrived in Italy on September 6, the day Pope Francis made his appeal for European parishes to open their doors to refugees. The four Syrians have since asked for asylum.
Journey in search of a better life

In a special report, ABC correspondents Mary Gearin, Barbara Miller and Sophie McNeill follow some asylum seekers on their long path through Europe.

"According to the law, for the first six months following the request for asylum those seeking international protection cannot work," the Vatican said.

"During this time, they will be helped and accompanied by the Parish of Santa Anna."

The Vatican City, a micro state which sits in the heart of Rome, contains two parishes — Santa Anna and St. Peter's Basilica.

The Vatican said it could not yet provide any information about a second family that is expected to be housed by the St Peter's administration.

Some parishioners have been openly hostile to the idea of welcoming in Muslims.

Monks in a village in Slovakia had to withdraw an offer to house Christian Syrian refugees after locals baulked at the idea.

The vast majority of Syrians are Muslims, but its small Christian community is one of the oldest in the world, making up an estimated 10 per cent of the population before the outbreak of the Syrian unrest in 2011.

According to its website, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church had some 150,000 members in Damascus in 2010. It is not clear how many have stayed in the city.

BELGIUM:VLM connects Antwerp to Birmingham

The airline VLM Airlines has announced a new route between Antwerp and Birmingham.

The flights depart three times a week, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 11:35, arrival at 12:05 (one and a half hour flight), return flights starting again at 14:30 Birmingham for an arrival at 17:00 in Antwerp. "There are strong commercial synergies "between Antwerp and Birmingham, said Steve Blair, operations manager at VLM Airlines citing the fashion industries, diamond, automotive and chemicals." We are confident that this new route will be attractive for people looking for a city break and can be used as a gateway to Bruges, Ghent and Brussels, all less than an hour from Antwerp, "he said. From Antwerp, VLM already serves Geneva, Hamburg and Southampton. Antwerp is also served by CityJet (from London-City) and Jetairfly.

Recall that the Belgian airline, which has regular services to seven destinations in five countries, including Geneva, Hamburg, Southampton, Waterford and London Luton. early June announced its withdrawal from Liege Airport in Belgium with the cancellation of the four routes to Avignon, Nice, Bologna and Venice. Its fleet consists of 11 Fokker 50 configured for 50 seats. In addition to regular flights, it continues to offer charter flights and ACMI including on behalf of CityJet or Aurigny.