In exciting news for philatelists, epistolists and aviation fans, Brussels Airlines and the Belgian postal service, bpost, are celebrating 100 years of flights between Belgium and the African continent – by issuring a new stamp.
Thursday, 12 February, is the 100th anniversary of the very first flight to Congo from Belgium. The milestone for Belgian aviation is being marked with the release of a new stamp, which became available on 27 January. It features a photomontage of the route followed on that first flight to Congo, known today as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), plus the aircraft. The stamp also depicts the flight crew and the former Belgian plane Princess Marie-José.
A world first
In what seems an extraordinary feat, mechanic Joseph De Bruycker and pilot Léopold Roger, navigator and pilot Edmond Thieffry left Brussels for Congo on 12 February 1925, for an 8,000-km flight. A press release notes that the “little Belgians”, from a nation less than 100 years old, were the first to successfully fly across the Sahara, beating nations like France and Great Britain. It also notes that Princess Marie-José got lost in the desert, not once, but twice.
51 days after their departure, the team landed at Leopoldville, today’s Kinshasa – creating the very first connection by air between Belgium and DRC, a connection that is still of strategic importance today in the Brussels Airlines offer. From summer 2025, Brussels Airlines will have 56 flights to the continent every week, up 10% from summer 2024.
An enduring bond?
Kenechi Ugwoke, Head of Africa Competence Centre at Lufthansa Group, has hailed the anniversary as “more than a celebration of aviation history. It is also a testament to our enduring bond with Africa, which has become an integral part of our identity and our future.”
While not everyone may agree, and many may say that given Belgium’s bloody colonial history in Congo, marking this moment is a corporate mis-step, Ugwoke claims that the “bond” between the two countries “has only grown stronger over the years, as we have not only mapped out routes, but also built relationships and trust. The African continent is part of our DNA.”
Controversial or not, the stamps are available in typical sheets of five, costing 15 euros. Each has a WORLD value and is therefore suitable for sending mail around the globe. They can be purchased via Bpost’s eShop, as well as in the Philaboutiques of Brussels and Mechelen.
