A process for hydrogenating an aromatic nitro compound according to the invention comprises providing a hydrogen gas stream and a liquid aromatic nitro compound stream; providing a fixed bed catalytic reactor having an inflow side and an outflow side; feeding to the inflow side, the hydrogen gas stream and the liquid aromatic nitro compound stream; converting the hydrogen gas and the aromatic nitro compound into an aromatic amine, thereby providing a reactor effluent comprising the aromatic amine and water; evacuating the reactor effluent from the reactor at the outflow side of the reactor; wherein an inert solvent or water is fed to the inflow side of the reactor at a molar ratio of moles inert solvent or water to moles hydrogen is more than 1.