Emirates and Kenya Airways (KQ) have announced an interline partnership that will allow customers of both airlines access to new destinations on the two airlines’ networks within a single itinerary.
The agreement will provide customers with increased travel options as well as seamless baggage check-in to their final destination.
Under the new partnership, Emirates customers will now be able to fly to 28 destinations on the Kenya Airways network using Nairobi as the gateway to destinations such as Nampula, Bangui, Bujumbura, Kigali, Dzaoudzi, Lubumbashi, Kinshasa, Kilimanjaro, Juba, Zanzibar, among many other regional points across Africa.
Additionally, as part of a bilateral interline arrangement, Emirates passengers travelling via Dubai can also book a single ticket itinerary from or to Mombasa, one of the most popular leisure destinations in Kenya.
Similarly, Kenya Airways passengers travelling from Nairobi and Mombasa will now be able to access the Emirates’ network and seamlessly connect through Dubai to 23 destinations across West and South Asia, the Far East, the Indian Ocean and Middle East such as Singapore, Tokyo, Bangkok, Ahmedabad, Beirut, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Seoul among others.
Improving connections
“We are pleased to ink our first partnership with Kenya’s flag carrier. Kenya is a strategic gateway in our African network, and this new interline agreement will enhance connectivity for Emirates’ customers and provide them with more travel choices across the continent. We look forward to deepening our relationship with Kenya Airways, offering greater network opportunities and improving connections for both of our customers,” said Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer, Emirate.
On his part, Julius Thairu, the Chief Commercial and Customer Officer at Kenya Airways said the partnership will provide the ideal gateway for KQ customers “as we seek to increase our connectivity between Africa and the Middle East through Emirates’ hub in Dubai.”
“Partnerships like these are key in aviation as they take advantage of mutual scale and efficiencies to provide customers with more seamless travel options,” he added.
Emirates has been operating in Kenya since 1995 and it has steadily grown the route to 14 weekly flights, having flown over 5 million passengers through the years.
It is also the only airline serving Kenya with private, enclosed First Class cabins, offering premium customers a superior experience across every touch point of their journey.
The partnership comes after Kenya Airways recently launched direct flights between Mombasa and Dubai offering customers 4 weekly flights.
