National carrier Kenya Airways has announced a new partnership with Emirates that promises to unlock several new destinations for the airlines’ customers. The interline agreement was unveiled on Monday, June 12.

The partnership will enable Kenya Airways passengers travelling from Nairobi and Mombasa  to access the Emirates’ network and connect through Dubai to 23 destinations across West and South Asia, the Far East, the Indian Ocean and Middle East including Singapore, Tokyo, Bangkok, Ahmedabad, Beirut, Hong Kong, Jakarta and Seoul among others.

Emirates customers, on the other hand, will be able to use Nairobi as a gateway to to 28 destinations on the Kenya Airways network including Nampula, Bangui, Bujumbara, Kigali, Dzaoudzi, Lubumbashi, Kinshasa, Kilimanjaro, Juba and Zanzibar, among other African destinations. The deal will also see Emirates passengers travelling via Dubai allowed to book a single ticket itinerary from or to the Coastal city of Mombasa.

Kenya Airways Chief Commercial and Customer Officer Julius Thairu stated; “This partnership will provide the ideal gateway for our 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.”

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Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer at Emirates stated: “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.”

Emirates first launched flights between Nairobi and Dubai in 1995, and currently operates 14 weekly flights on the route.

KQ currently operates ten weekly flights to Dubai from Nairobi using a mix of B737-800 and the Dreamliner B787-800. The airline in December last year notably launched direct flights between Mombasa and Dubai offering customers 4 weekly flights – making Moi International Airport, Mombasa the second hub, after Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, that the airline connects passengers directly to the UAE.

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