Emirates, Kenya Airways sign interline partnership

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.

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, Bujumbara, 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 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.

Adnan Kazim, chief commercial officer, Emirates said: “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 Kenya Airways added: “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.”

Meanwhile, Emirates began operations to Kenya with the launch of flights between Nairobi and Dubai in 1995, and since then it has steadily grown the route to 14 weekly flights, having flown over five million passengers through the years.

Emirates is also the only airline serving Kenya with private, enclosed First Class cabins, offering premium customers a superior experience across every touchpoint of their journey.

Kenya Airways recently launched direct flights between Mombasa and Dubai offering customers four weekly flights.

The flight from Moi International Airport, Mombasa marked the second hub, other than its Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, that the carrier connects passengers directly to the UAE. KQ currently operates ten weekly flights to Dubai from Nairobi using a mix of B737-800 and the Dreamliner B787-800.

Read: Kenya Airways operates inaugural flight from Mombasa to Dubai’s DXB