The Kenyan cargo airline is eying new intra-Africa opportunities created by the African Continental Free Trade Area and the potential for expansion in China.
China’s aviation authority has given the go-ahead for carriers to start four new international passenger services, including flights to Madrid and Toronto.
With Routes Africa heading to Mombasa in the Kenya in December, Routesonline looks at some of the key facts and figures shaping the East African country’s market.
This week: Air France returns to the Nairobi market; the first service by a Chinese carrier from Qingdao to Western Europe; and Interjet’s first Canadian services from the famous Mexican leisure destination Cancun.
The new flight will, according to Emirates, give customers “greater flexibility and choice” when planning their travel and also underscores Emirates’ “commitment to Kenya and confidence in the route”. The airline first launched services in October 1995 and this has become one of its busiest air corridors in and out of Africa over the past 20 years.
To date, passenger traffic between the major cities of Dar es Salaam and Nairobi, which have a combined population of over eight million people, has been limited by high air fares which we believe, have excluded large parts of the local population from air travel. The only alternative to flying is to undertake a long and difficult journey by road, which can take up to 12 hours.
The granting of the ASL clears the way for fastjet Kenya to commence the application process for an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) which, once received, will allow the airline to operate domestic flights within Kenya. However, it will remain a long, and arduous journey before the budget airline begins flights.
The Star Alliance member will initially introduce a four times weekly service between Frankfurt and Nairobi from October 27, 2015, growing to a five times weekly service from December 11, 2015 through to the end of January 2016 flown by an Airbus A340-300.
The airline, which is celebrating the first anniversary of its formation, introduced flights from its base at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Lamu, Malindi and Ukunda from March 28, 2015. These destinations complement its existing flights to Eldoret, Kisumu and Mombasa as it targets the growing domestic travel market in the East African country.
Uganda’s ‘adopted’ airline planned to launch its Entebbe – Nairobi route on January 10, 2015 after it was granted 5th freedom rights by the Uganda CAA. However, delays securing slots at Jomo Kanyatta International Airport in Kenya's capital has delayed the launch.
The total traffic for the four days is an increase of 36 per cent over the same period at the end of Eid Al Fitr in 2013, when 133,007 passengers took an Etihad Airways flight.
Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade is currently working to introduce new businesses processes to make it easier for foreign companies to invest in Kenya.
The start-up inaugurated operations on the morning of April 1, 2014 initially offering up to six daily rotations between Nairobi and Mombasa, a double daily link between the capital and Kisumu and a ten times weekly service between Nairobi and Eldoret.
