The Middle East: A Key Source Market for Kenya Airways
Kenya Airways has added non-stop flights to Muscat in from its main base in Nairobi. It previously served the Oman capital as an extension from Dubai. Routes News examines the growing demand for flights between East Africa and the Middle East.
Kenya Airways is growing its market share between Africa and the Middle East by adding new non-stop flights from Nairobi to Muscat, using a narrow-body B737-800. KQ previously flew to Muscat three times a week as an extension to its Nairobi-Dubai service which is operated on a daily basis.
There has been a significant increase in the number of scheduled flights between the Middle East and Africa in the last five years, as IATA BSP data illustrates.
Between the 14-20 June 2010, the data shows that there will be 1,217 weekly flights between the Middle East and Africa. In 2005, there were just 685 weekly flights during the same time period, an increase of nearly 50%.
The progressive increase in flights fits with clear demand for services from Kenya to the Middle East. IATA BSP data also shows that between February 2009 and 2010, over 247,000 passengers flew to and from the Middle East from Kenya.
Of that number, 32% of these passengers flew on Emirates and Kenya Airways non-stop service to Dubai. There was however, significant passenger leakage with over 45,000 travelling with an en-route stopover.
From February 2008 to 2009, 229,000 flew from Kenya to the Middle East according to IATA BSP data an increase of 18,000 passengers. Kenya Airways' new non-stop services will hope to capture traffic flying from the Middle East into Nairobi as well as the demand that currently exists from Muscat.
The table below illustrates the carriers currently operating from the Middle East into the Kenyan capital:
|
Carrier |
Weekly Flights from ME to Nairobi |
Destination |
|
Emirates |
14 |
Dubai |
|
Kenya Airways |
10 |
Dubai |
|
Turkish Airlines |
7 |
Istanbul |
|
Qatar Airways |
7 |
Doha |
|
Air Arabia |
3 |
Sharjah |
|
Saudi Arabian Airlines |
2 |
Jeddah |
|
Total |
43 |
5 |
Source:Flightbase 14-20 June 2010
Kenya Airways: Intercontinental Schedule
Kenya Airways currently flies to nine destinations outside Africa from its Nairobi base, as summarised:
|
Destination |
Weekly Flights |
Aircraft Type |
|
Bangkok |
14 |
B767-300 |
|
London Heathrow |
10 |
B777-200 |
|
Dubai |
10 |
B767-300 |
|
Mumbai |
7 |
B767-300 |
|
Amsterdam |
7 |
B777-200 |
|
Muscat |
6 |
B737-800 |
|
Paris Charles de Gaulle |
4 |
B767-300 |
|
Hong Kong (Extension of BKK) |
4 |
B767-300 |
|
Guangzhou (Extension of BKK) |
3 |
B767-300 |
|
Total |
65 |
Source: Flightbase 14-20 June 2010.
Kenya Airways operates wide-body aircraft to all of its intercontinental destinations, with the exception of the new service to Muscat, which is served with a narrow-body, which will help reduce the risk on the sector.
It is estimated that around 37,000 Kenyan citizens live in the Middle East and there are growing business links between the two regions.
Kenya's textile and motor industry in particular fuel traffic to the Middle East every year, with Kenyan's looking to buy fabric and second hand cars there
Plus Kenya's Tourism Board (KTB) has launched a campaign to attract more tourists and increased investment from the Middle East to Kenya and recently set up a representative office in Dubai.
Kenya Airways will also offer plenty of connectivity through Nairobi, with offering 244 weekly flights to 29 destinations within Africa.
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