Kenya Airways and South African Airways continue to enhance their strategic pact as they gear towards a pan-African entity. Earlier this week, South African Airways struck a codeshare agreement with Kenya Airways, enabling both airlines to cooperate more closely by offering their passengers seamless travel while offering a wider range of operations.

This announcement also comes as demand for air travel rebounds and will see Kenya Airways’ KQ code used for South African Airways flights within Southern Africa including Cape Town, SOuth Africa; Durban, South Africa and Harare, Zimbabwe.

The airline’s code will in turn be used for Kenya Airways flights within Kenya and East African destinations including Nairobi, Kenya; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Entebbe, Uganda; Mombasa, Kenya and Kisumu, Kenya.

South African Airways’ customers will continue to have the ability to earn Voyager Miles on these new codeshare flights. The deal enables travelers to combine flight segments and baggage on a single ticket.

In a joint press release, the two airlines said they are evaluating their codeshare partnership and will see the addition of Zanzibar, Tanzania; Kilimanjaro in Tanzania; Juba, South Sudan; Douala, Cameroon; Lusaka, Zambia; Ghana and Nigeria. These destinations are subject to government approval as the airlines seek to offer more options for travelers within Africa.

Allan Kilavuka, Kenya Airways CEO and Group Managing Director said; “We are very pleased to implement the codeshare with SAA which offers our shared customers more options and flight combinations. As part of our Strategic Partnership Framework, we will contribute to making it easier for passengers to reach exciting new destinations within Africa. The additional destinations we believe will offer better customer journey thanks to the number of frequencies and connections created as well as many opportunities for trade and tourism.”

A Kenya Airways Boeing 787-8 at Schiphol Airport. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | James Dinsdale)

John Lamola, interim CEO of South African Airways said, “Through the codeshare agreement with Kenya Airways, South African Airways’ valued clientele will gain new travel choices to markets across East Africa via Kenya’s extensive network and hub in Nairobi, providing for seamless travel and status recognition. We are looking forward to introducing Kenya Airways customers to our award-winning service, and to working closely with Kenya Airways as our partnership will improve the connections between our respective networks.”

African Aviation Industry’s Potential Growth

Last year, Kenya Airways and its South African compatriot teamed up in November to sign a strategic partnership. This pact will enable the two companies to combine under the roof of a common holding company, signaling a move toward post-pandemic Pan-African airline consolidation.

The two airlines will still, retain their respective brands and talent under this partnership expected to launch in 2023.

The respective chief executives of the two national carriers see the chance to unlock the potential of greater air connectivity within Africa as they focus on achieving synergies that ensure lower costs and route expansion, under the holding firm, the companies have since noted without providing details.

As the airline chiefs work on developing plans for a pan-African operation, the unanswered question is, will African aviation bypass the stage of a continent with “huge potential?”

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Victor Shalton

Victor Shalton's love for aviation can be traced to when he was 11-years-old. As a seasoned aviation writer, he takes pride in providing the best aviation coverage around the globe and is passionate about advancing his skills in the aviation space. In addition, he loves travelling, writing, arts and while his speaking engagements have taken him around the world, he is proud to call Nairobi home.

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