By Victor Shalton
Kenya Airways Signs Interline Agreement With South African Regional Airline Airlink
Kenya Airways and Airlink have announced an interline agreement that will widen both airlines’ reach to multiple destinations in the African continent even as countries begin reopening their borders for travelers.
Kenya Airways’ agreement with Airlink will provide its customers enhanced connectivity via its gateways Johannesburg and Cape Town to more than forty cities across Africa with this unique connection enabled by the new partnership providing customers onward travel options not offered by other airlines.
“As global economies continue to reel from the effects of the pandemic, such strategic partnerships are critical. These new routes will positively impact the flow of trade and tourism across the region by offering our customers convenient travel around the continent,” said Julius Thairu, Kenya Airways Chief Commercial Officer.
Kenya Airways continues to diversify its services and operations in response to its customers’ needs. The SkyTeam Alliance member takes pride in being at the forefront of connecting Africa to the World and the World to Africa through its hub at the new ultra-modern Terminal 1A at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.
Under this latest agreement, Kenya Airways customers flying to South Africa will be able to connect with Airlink-operated domestic flights to Windhoek, Durban, Gaborone, Maseru, Pemba, Maputo, Port Elizabeth, among others.
The airline is a leading African airline flying to 41 destinations worldwide, 34 of which are in Africa, and carries over four million passengers annually. Its onboard service is renowned and the lie-flat business class seat on the wide-body aircraft is consistently voted among the world’s top 10.
In addition to its passenger services, Kenya Airways also operates cargo services to key locations including London, Amsterdam, Guangzhou, Sharjah, Mumbai with over 25 intra-Africa routes.
On the other hand, Airlink passengers have the opportunity to book a through ticket to Nairobi and enjoy connections to the rest of Kenya Airways destinations within Africa, including Entebbe, Kigali, Dar Salaam, Bujumbura, Kinshasa and more.
With its comprehensive network of destinations in the southern Africa region, the airline offers its customers a wider choice of flights of which it serves with a fleet of more than 50 jetliners from Embraer 190 to Cessna Caravan indicating the breadth of its network.
It became an independent carrier in late 2020 as its tie with South African Airways was severed. During the same year, the airline carried over 2 million passengers on more than 63,000 flights and recorded an on-time performance consistently better than 95%.
The pioneering interline agreement presents new growth opportunities for both airlines and will strengthen aviation ties between Kenya and Southern Africa. This partnership also plays a significant role economically, improving trade exchange and spurring tourism across the continent.
Victor Shalton’s love for aviation can be traced to when he was 11-years-old. As a seasoned aviation writer, he takes pride in providing the best aviation coverage around the globe and is passionate about advancing his skills in the aviation space. In addition, he loves travelling, writing, arts and while his speaking engagements have taken him around the world, he is proud to call Nairobi home.