Kenya Airways has inked an interline deal with Emirates that will allow passengers of the two airlines to use a single ticket and baggage policy, in a deal likely to boost the fortunes of Kenya’s national carrier.
Passengers of KQ travelling from Nairobi and Mombasa will access 23 destinations in Emirates’ network through its hub in Dubai. The destinations include Singapore, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Jakarta.
The deal looks to boost KQ’s numbers amid stiff competition from Ethiopian Airlines, ultimately bolstering the push to grow revenues and cut perennial losses.
“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,” KQ’s chief commercial and customer officer, Julius Thairu, said.
An interline deal allows passengers to check in once for all the flights on the itinerary, receive all their boarding passes and transfer luggage from the first airline to the second airline without having to collect it and drop it off again.
The deal will see Emirates passengers’ access 28 destinations on the KQ network through the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. The destinations include Kinshasa, Kilimanjaro, Juba and Zanzibar.
Kenya Airways flies to Dubai from Nairobi and Mombasa four times a week, while Emirates operates 14 weekly flights between Nairobi and Dubai.
KQ slid into a full-year loss of Sh36.26 billion in the year ended December, even as its board chairman Michael Joseph remained optimistic that the airline will break even at the end of this year and record profit in 2024.
