An Emirates 777-300ER lines up on the runway for a test flight at Paine Field. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Katie Zera)
Emirates and Kenya Airways have joined forces in an interline partnership, unveiling a collaboration that will provide customers of both airlines with enhanced travel opportunities across their combined networks. The agreement not only offers connectivity between Africa and the Middle East but also ensures a straightforward baggage check-in process throughout the journey.
Under this partnership, Emirates passengers will gain access to 28 destinations in the Kenya Airways network, with Nairobi serving as a pivotal gateway to various African cities. Travelers can now embark on journeys to destinations such as Nampula, Bangui, Bujumbara, Kigali, Dzaoudzi, Lubumbashi, Kinshasa, Kilimanjaro, Juba, Zanzibar, and many other regional points across the African continent. Furthermore, customers flying via Dubai will also have the convenience of booking a single ticket for their travel to or from Mombasa, a highly sought-after leisure destination in Kenya, thanks to the bilateral interline arrangement.
Likewise, Kenya Airways passengers departing from Nairobi and Mombasa will gain access to Emirates’ extensive network, allowing connections through Dubai to 23 destinations in West and South Asia, the Far East, the Indian Ocean, and the Middle East.
A Kenya Airways Boeing 787-8 at Schiphol Airport. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | James Dinsdale)
Expressing enthusiasm about the partnership, Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer of Emirates, said in a press release: “We are pleased to ink our first partnership with Kenya’s flag carrier. Kenya is a strategic gateway in our Africa network, and this new interline agreement will enhance connectivity for Emirates’ customers and provide them 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.”
Julius Thairu, Chief Commercial and Customer Officer of Kenya Airways, highlighted the importance of partnerships in the aviation industry, leveraging shared scale and efficiencies to deliver seamless travel options, “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 said.
Emirates has been serving Kenya since 1995 when it launched flights between Nairobi and Dubai. Over the years, the airline has gradually expanded its operations on this route and currently operates 14 weekly flights, having transported over 5 million passengers.
Kenya Airways recently introduced nonstop flights between Mombasa and Dubai, with four weekly flights catering to the increasing demand for travel between the two destinations. In addition to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Mombasa has become the carrier’s second hub connecting passengers directly to the UAE. Kenya Airways currently operates ten weekly flights to Dubai from Nairobi, utilizing a mix of 737-800 and 787-8 aircraft.
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