On the 12th of June 2023, Emirates and Kenya Airways (KQ) announced a new interline partnership that will enable all customers on both ends to fly seamlessly to new destinations on the networks of Emirates and Kenya Airlines within a single booking.
This will create extreme convenience for passengers on both ends. The new interline agreement means that Emirates coverage will increase to 148 African points.
In addition, Kenyan flag carrier Kenya Airways will provide new schedule points to 23 eastbound Emirates destinations from its hub in Dubai.
Added value
Passengers traveling on both ends can now have their baggage seamlessly checked through between the two airlines, to their final destination, adding value to their journey and also the two airlines.
Moreover, Emirates fliers originating from Emirates destinations or Dubai can now connect to secondary Kenyan cities through Nairobi such as Nampula, Bangui, Bujumbara, Kigali, Dzaoudzi, Lubumbashi, Kinshasa, Kilimanjaro, Juba, Zanzibar, among many other regional points across Africa.
As part of the agreement, the interline arrangements mean travel via Dubai with a single ticket booking from places such as Mombasa, one of Kenya’s most touristic destinations, famous for Europeans and Middle Easters alike.
Emirates has an impressive global outreach to destinations across 5 continents places like Singapore, Tokyo, Bangkok, Ahmedabad, Beirut, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Tokyo, Seoul among others.
Partnership statements
Emirates Chief Commercial Officer, Adnan Kazim said, “We are pleased to ink our first partnership with Kenya’s flag carrier. Kenya is a strategic gateway in our African network, and this new interline agreement will enhance connectivity for Emirates’ customers and provide them with 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 said, “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.”
Tickets are available to purchase on both Emirates and Kenya Airways websites, and major online travel agents (OTA).
About Kenya Airways
Kenya Airways is a member of the Sky Team Alliance and is one of Africa’s leading airlines with more than 42 destinations globally. 35 of which are based in Africa. In pre-pandemic times, the airline reached a number of five million passengers in 2019.
The airline boasts one of the most modern fleets in the continent, with its flagship Boeing 787 Dreamliner, narrowbody 737s, and Embraer E190.
In addition, the airline’s onboard service is known for its gracious and warm Kenyan hospitality, with its lie-flat business class seats on its wide-body aircraft, but with the outdated configuration of 2-2-2.
The airline really prides itself on being the ‘pride of Africa’ and deserves to be so, connecting travellers of all walks of life through its hub and the new contemporary Terminal 1A at its Nairobi Airport hub, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
