Brussels Airlines became the 26th member of Star Alliance this week, at a ceremony in Brussels City Hall attended by representatives of all of the member airlines.

The event included a light and sound spectacular beamed on to the front of the city hall (click here to view a recording of the show), as well as the city’s most famous inhabitant – the diminutive Mannequin Pis statue – being dressed in a pilot’s uniform for the occasion.

Speaking at the event Brussels Airlines’ co-CEO Bernard Gustin spoke of Star as being “the Champions League of alliances”. Gustin emphasised the new routes that the carrier will bring to the Star network, including an extensive offering of 14 African destinations, a legacy from the days of Sabena, the Belgian state carrier which served many long-haul and African destinations prior to its bankruptcy in 2001.

When SN Brussels was formed in the same year, it concentrated on European and African routes, before merging with Virgin Express in 2006 and becoming Brussels Airlines. Founder Star Alliance member Lufthansa later took a 45 per cent shareholding in the carrier, leading the way for Brussels Airlines to join the alliance this week.

Today Brussels Airlines operates a two-class, three-product offering on its short-haul routes (with standard and flexible options in economy), leading Gustin to joke that the airline “should have copyrighted the concept”, with Air France launching a similar offering on its European routes last month