The carrier continues to expand its African network.
Etihad Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner taking off at Abu Dhabi International Airport (Photo: Etihad)
Etihad Airways is significantly ramping up its presence in Africa, with a major boost to its Nairobi service. Beginning Dec. 15, the airline will double its flights between Abu Dhabi and Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, increasing from the current once-daily schedule to twice-daily operations.
This development follows the successful relaunch of the route in December 2024, which had been delayed from its originally planned debut in May of that year. The inaugural flight on December 15 was fully booked.
Arik De, Etihad’s chief revenue and commercial officer, commented: “At Etihad, we have long recognised the need to strengthen our presence in Africa. We’re encouraged by the positive early results and are pleased to announce the expansion of our Nairobi service to 14 weekly flights, as well as the increase of our Seychelles service to 6 weekly flights in partnership with Air Seychelles. We’re also introducing daily 787 services to Casablanca and Johannesburg.”
Etihad’s Nairobi service had been suspended since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the airline had initially planned to resume flights on September 1, the relaunch was postponed several times before finally resuming on December 15, with daily Airbus A320 services offering both Business and Economy cabins.
Beyond Nairobi, Etihad currently operates to four other African destinations: Cairo, Casablanca, Johannesburg, and the Seychelles. However, the Abu Dhabi–Seychelles route will be discontinued on May 22, 2025, as per the airline’s latest schedule update. Air Seychelles will take over the route starting May 23, operating six weekly flights with its Airbus A320neo, excluding Thursdays (from Seychelles) and Fridays (from Abu Dhabi).
Although Etihad will no longer fly directly to the Seychelles, it will maintain a presence via a codeshare agreement with Air Seychelles, announced in December 2024. This arrangement ensures continuity of service and connectivity even after Etihad exits the route.
In addition to expanding service to Nairobi, Etihad is set to launch four new African destinations. Daily flights to Addis Ababa will commence on October 8, 2025, as part of a joint venture with Ethiopian Airlines.
The airline will also begin flying to Algiers on November 7, with four weekly services; to Tunis from November 1, with three weekly flights; and to the Egyptian resort town of Al Alamein with a seasonal service operating twice a week between July 17 and September 14.
Commenting on these developments, Arik De said, “Together with Air Seychelles and our groundbreaking relationship with Ethiopian Airlines, these strategic partnerships form a key foundation as we add four new direct routes to Africa from Abu Dhabi this year, underlining our growing commitment to service the dynamic continent.”
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