Kenya Airways is to inaugurate flights to Jeddah from mid-October its third destination in the Middle East. The carrier will offer a twice weekly service to the Saudi Arabian city from its Nairobi base from October 18 using a Boeing 737-800. The growth continues the airline’s commitment to expand its network not just across its home African market, but into the global arena
Located on the middle of the Eastern coast of the Red Sea, Jeddah is the economic and tourist capital of the country and is the second most populous city in the Kingdom after the political capital Riyadh. It is already linked to Nairobi by Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) and there are up to twice daily flights by Saudia and Ethiopian Airlines to Addis Ababa, East Africa’s other major hub. An estimated 17,000 O&D passengers travelled between Nairobi and Jeddah in the past year, up 57.0 per cent on the previous 12 month period. The yield on the route has also strengthened with average fares up from $317 to $333 during the period.
“Kenya Airways is pleased to launch this service, our third to the Middle Eastern region. It is testament to our efforts to grow our network internationally so as to offer connectivity not just across Africa, but from Africa to the rest of the world through our Nairobi hub,” said Dr Titus Naikuni, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Kenya Airways. “We are doing this by adding new aircraft and establishing additional frequencies on the high traffic routes to ensure we offer more alternative flights to our customers. We have just taken delivery of our eighth Embraer E-190 jet and another one is currently going through final tests before its delivery early next month.”
Aside from its economic potential, Dr Naikuni also noted that Jeddah offered potential for tourists from the Middle East to help to boost the local industry. “The Middle East offers great potential for tourists for Kenya and we are confident that the new service from Kenya Airways will make it easier for our partners in the industry to bring in visitors to explore what Kenya has to offer,” he added.
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