Effective Aug. 11, Delta’s code will be placed on Kenya Airways’ flights from Amsterdam, Paris, London, and Accra to Nairobi, enhancing connectivity and providing customers with a one-stop seamless travel experience from the United States. In addition, Delta will place its code on Kenya Airways’ services to more than 10 key cities across Africa, including: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Lilongwe, Malawi; Maputo, Mozambique; Johannesburg, South Africa and Djibouti City, Djibouti.

“Delta is the leading carrier between the United States and Africa. This new partnership with Kenya Airways’ will give customers even greater choice for travel between the continents thanks to Kenya Airways’ extensive network beyond Nairobi,” said Corneel Koster, Delta’s Senior Vice President — Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India.

Kenya Airways Chief Commercial Officer, Vincent Coste said, “We are delighted about this closer relationship with Delta, and believe that this will bring real benefits to our customers and our business. Kenya Airways and Delta are both premier airlines and this agreement is a positive step in our cooperation.”

Delta and Kenya Airways are both members of the SkyTeam alliance. Frequent Flyers can earn and redeem miles on both airlines, while Elite Plus travellers benefit from SkyPriority services.

Delta has operated flights to Africa since 2006, and serves Lagos, Nigeria; Accra, Ghana; Dakar, Senegal and Johannesburg, South Africa. Kenya Airways is a leading African carrier and operates in 52 destinations worldwide, 43 of which are in Africa.

Kenya Airways already places its code on the thrice weekly flights operated by Air Mauritius to Nairobi and vice versa. As a result of the expanded cooperation, Air Mauritius will now codeshare, as marketing carrier, on all Kenya Airways operated flights between Nairobi and Mauritius.

On 13 December 2017, Air Mauritius CEO, Somas Appavou and Kenya Airways CEO, Sebastian Mikosz had signed an MOU to deepen their existing collaboration at the Air Mauritius Head Office in Port Louis.

“This agreement is in line with the country’s Vision 2030 and our network strategy to tap into the emerging opportunities in Africa. Kenya Airways is a strong player on the continent and has a solid network that can give us better access to East Africa, Central Africa and very soon to the USA. We value our partnership with Kenya Airways and are happy to have taken it to another level.” stated Somas Appavou.

In a statement, KCAA Director General Gilbert Kibe, said the decision of the Authority affects AOC holders and AMOs that had not completed their certification.

He added that the imposed restrictions subsequently limit the operations of the affected operators to within the boundaries of Kenya and AMOs to only offer their services to air operators that conduct domestic operations.

“The holder of the affected AOCs will cease all international operations until such a time that they have completed the certification process to the satisfaction of the Authority and in strict compliance with the applicable regulations,” he said.

The Authority is mandated under the Civil Aviation Act to regulate the aviation industry in Kenya.

He explained that Kenya being a signatory State to the Chicago Convention is obliged to ensure that all activities in the aviation industry are conducted in a manner consistent with the Convention and Annexes thereto.

“The Authority will continue to process the certification of the affected operators as is our mandate and urge their cooperation at all times.The travelling public and users of air services are reassured of the safety of air operations and the actions taken by the Authority are aimed at enhancing compliance with regulations as well as fostering the safety and security of the aviation industry in Kenya,” Kibe said.

The directive comes amidst the search and rescue operations for a light passenger aircraft that went missing on 5 June, carrying 10 people on board. The plane belonging to Sax and operated by East African Safari Air Express was destined for the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi from Kitale when it went missing.

The non-stop flight will depart from Nairobi every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, opening gateway opportunities for both Kenyans and Mauritians to enjoy the best of what both countries have to offer.

“This is part of our strategic intent to expand our footprint across Africa. The investment and trade opportunities presented by this direct flight will certainly add value to both countries. We expect to grow tourism for both countries as we strive to offer our passengers affordable and improved connections from both the Nairobi
and Mauritius hubs,” said Jan De Vegt, Chief Operating Officer, Kenya Airways.

The launch of direct flights to the Island nation is the 53rd destination overall.

“The Nairobi – Mauritius route will also have great impact on our upcoming non-stop flights to New York by reinforcing its attractiveness to the American Premium Leisure travellers,” he added.

Kenya Airways already has an existing code-share agreement with Air Mauritius. Under this arrangement, there are three weekly flights, which will also be applicable on Kenya Airways’ flights. This brings to seven, daily flights to Mauritius.

Located in the middle of the turquoise Indian Ocean and surrounded by perfect white sandy beaches, Mauritius is one of the world’s most renowned paradises. The tropical island off the coast of Africa has a plethora of resorts and offers a wide range of fantastic experiences from hiking through the jungle to swimming in beautiful and hard-to-find waterfalls, making it a dream holiday destination for tourists from all over the world.

A policy paper seen by the Business Daily and which got the Cabinet’s approval last week, it says the aim of the merger is to reposition the airline as its rivals, including Ethiopian Airlines and Emirates Group, which have relied on government backing to expand their reach.

According to Business Daily, the move also appears to be in reaction to the financial difficulties the carrier has continued to experience.

“Should matters remain in the current state, the airlines, the biggest revenue driver for JKIA, may collapse or significantly reduce operations within the next year and JKIA will downgrade and eventually be relegated to the status of a regional airport as no foreign carrier will develop JKIA for the benefit of Kenya,” the airline and the KAA said in a proposal document to the Cabinet.

Through a public-private partnership (PPP) that could be signed by September, Kenya Airways will take over all the staff and operations of the KAA in a move that will at once expand the range of its services to include ground handling, maintenance, catering, warehousing and cargo. It is also envisaged that a special economic zone will emerge around the country’s main aviation hub, JKIA.

The government is further expected to support the joint venture by exempting it from certain taxes and allowing it to retain several levies as part of the plan to stop financial haemorrhage at Kenya Airways and bolster JKIA’s status as an East African aviation hub. KQ chairman Michael Joseph, who helped craft the plan, told the Business Daily that finer details, including the new entity’s corporate structure and its implications on the airline’s shareholders, will be worked out in due time.

Read more here

In the months of July and August, the airline will have two additional night flights to Amsterdam, per week and two other extra day flights to Paris, France.

To cater for increasing demand, the airline will further introduce four weekly flights to Mauritius effective 7 June, 2018 and three non-stop weekly flights to Cape Town effective 6 June, this is in addition to the existing seven weekly flights connecting via Victoria Falls and Livingston.

There will be three additional night flights to Accra, Ghana and Freetown, Sierra Leone effective August this year. Other destinations that will have additional frequencies include Kinshasa, Brazzaville, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Maputo and Entebbe.

Last year, Kenya received about 1.3 million international tourist arrivals which was a 17 percent increase compared to the previous year. All the destinations worldwide received a total of 1.1 billion international tourist arrivals.

The final audit follows on TSA recommendations made during a prior visit which asked for a tighter security system at JKIA, including a perimeter fence and consistency at the security screening yard.

The five-day audit is being carried out by officials from US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and will conclude on Friday. If cleared, JKIA will earn the Last Point of Departure (LDP) status, paving way for direct flights to the United States from the Kenyan capital.

Once JKIA is granted the Last Point of Departure (LDP) status, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will allow Kenya Airways and other accredited airlines to fly directly to the US from Nairobi.

Toward the end of April, Kenya Airways Group Managing Director and CEO Sebastian Mikosz visited the United States where he met with various transport and tourism stakeholders including the New York Tourism Board and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey.

The objective of his visit was to engage with top Travel Management Companies and Tour Operators to consolidate partnerships and alliances and to promote the upcoming inaugural Kenya Airways non-stop flight to the United States.

Announced on 11th January this year, this will be Kenya Airways first ever non-stop flight from Nairobi to New York linking East Africa to North America, thus opening up wider business opportunities and tourism exchanges between the two regions.

With the United States having grown into the top source market for tourism in Kenya and over 40 American organisations having their regional headquarters in Nairobi, the introduction of the flights aim to boost tourism, investment and economic growth between the two countries and continents.

Kenya Airways non-stop flight from New York to Nairobi will significantly improve connection between two major markets. Not only does this key route contribute to the development of trade between East Africa and the US, it also gives the opportunity to our American guests to enjoy a wide-range of premium leisure experiences in 14 hours daily.

The route will be operated by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner with a configuration of 234 seats – 30 in Premier World and 204 Economy class, world-class products and services and a convenient schedule.

The first flight will depart John F. Kennedy International Airport on 29th October 2018 at 12:25 hours, arriving at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 10:55 hours the next day. The return flight will depart Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 23:25 hours, arriving at JFK airport at 06:25 hours the following morning.

This will see the Nairobi based budget airline become the first regional low cost airline with an introductory fare of Ksh 11,330 (incl. taxes) one-way. Customers will be able to purchase tickets from the airline’s robust online book portal – Jambojet.com, sales office, call centers or at their preferred travel agent.

Willem Hondius, CEO Jambojet said “We are delighted to launch direct service to Entebbe, a much-anticipated addition to our network where we will offer frequent and new flyers even more affordable fares. This new route will connect businesses in Kenya and Uganda while also appealing to leisure travelers, offering them the opportunity to experience the ‘Pearl of Africa’.

Hondius further noted that the airline has seen an upward trend on its domestic traffic; “We are optimistic that the regional flight will spur the airline’s growth as well as foster regional integration at a national level.”

The airline currently operates a relatively young fleet of four Dash 8 Q400 aircraft. The route will be served with the recently acquired 78 seater; turboprop Bombardier Next Gen Q400 as it plans to venture into other regional destinations.

The airline currently operates to Eldoret, Kisumu, Malindi, Mombasa, Nairobi and Ukunda.

The flight schedules will operate as follows:

Morning

Nairobi (NBO) to Entebbe (EBB) JM8520 departs 09:10 arrives 10:30

Entebbe (EBB) to Nairobi (NBO) JM8521 departs 11:00 arrives 12:20

Evening

Nairobi (NBO) to Entebbe (EBB) JM8524 departs 17:30 arrives 18:50

Entebbe (EBB) to Nairobi (NBO) JM8525 departs 19:20 arrives 20:40

Situated adjacent the Two Rivers Mall in Runda, the property has opened its first phase of rooms and expects to be fully open by the end of February.

The four-storey hotel comprises two 20-seater boardrooms, two eight-seater meeting rooms, a swimming pool, a fitness room, a #Cafe for breakfasts lunches and light meals, a sundowner bar service, wireless internet, free parking and 24-hour reception services. One in every 50 rooms has been adapted to meet the needs of guests with reduced physical abilities. All bedrooms have en-suite shower facilities, with selected rooms providing baths as well.

The first 40 rooms opened on January 15, another 44 rooms will be available by the beginning of February and the hotel will be fully open by the end of February.

“We are extremely excited about the prospects for this hotel which is the biggest we have developed outside of South Africa,” said Clifford Ross, City Lodge’s chief executive.

“It is situated in an important growth node of Nairobi and will ideally complement our other hotels in the city and give impetus to our targeted East African expansion programme.”

While the group’s main focus will be on meeting the needs of business travellers, it will also focus on providing accommodation and associated services for leisure travellers visiting Kenya and East Africa.

The City Lodge Hotel Group owns and operates the Fairview Hotel and Town Lodge, Upper Hill in Nairobi. It is also developing the 147-room City Lodge Hotel Dar es Salaam in Tanzania which is expected to open in early 2018. It recently opened the 147-room Town Lodge Windhoek in Namibia’s capital city and expects to open the 148-room City Lodge Hotel Maputo in Mozambique’s capital in the second quarter of 2018.

City Lodge Hotel at Two Rivers is within easy access of the local United Nations headquarters, the Nairobi CBD, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the Karura Forest and various other attractions and facilities.

In September last year the airline received its operating permit to commence direct flights to the US, allowing the airline to engage in “scheduled and charter foreign air transportation of persons, property and mail from any point or points behind Kenya, via any point or points in Kenya and any intermediate points, to any point or points in the United States and beyond”. In February 2017, the airline was granted Category One status by the US Federal Aviation Administration paving the way for non-stop direct flights between the two countries.

Once the flights are launched it will mean a 22-hour reduction in travelling time and will also cut-out the need for lengthy layovers for travellers from Kenya. Flights are scheduled to depart Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) daily at 10h30, with the estimated flight duration set at 15 hours, with passengers arriving at JFK at 06h30. The return service will depart at 13h30, arriving back at JKIA at 10h30 the following day.

Kenya Airways chairman, Michael Joseph told the East African that the airline is currently loading the flights into its system adding that flights will go live and be ready for bookings on Thursday.

“The launch of direct flights between Kenya and the United States will mark a significant milestone for the business and for the country.”

Each trip will have a maximum of 234 passengers — 204 in Economy and the rest in Business Class of the national carrier’s Dreamliner aircraft.