Direct Windhoek-Nairobi flights on cards

Kenya Airways Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Titus Naikuni.

AIR Namibia and Kenya Airways are considering introducing direct flights between Nairobi and the airlines formally announced a code share agreement yesterday.

Air Namibia Managing Director, Theo Namases said in Windhoek that the agreement was the first step towards the eventual introduction of direct flights between the two cities. The code sharing went on sale on 20 June.

Kenya Airways said it has boosted its footprint within the Southern Africa with the signing of a new code-share agreement with Air Namibia.

The deal paves the way for daily connections between the airlines’ Nairobi and Windhoek hubs through Johannesburg in South Africa and Lusaka in Zambia.

Under the code-share agreement, Kenya Airways will place its ‘KQ’ code on Air Namibia flights from Johannesburg and Lusaka to Windhoek. In return Air Namibia will place its ‘SW’ code on Kenya Airways flights from Lusaka and Johannesburg to Nairobi.

Namases and Kenya Airways Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Titus Naikuni hailed this new partnership as a huge boost to connectivity within Africa.

“We are excited about this partnership. By facilitating convenient travel for our passengers, this code-share agreement will enable us to make a contribution towards spurring sustainable development in Africa,” Naikuni said.

This code-share agreement with Air Namibia brings the number of code-share arrangements that Kenya Airways has signed with other international carriers to 20.

“The industry we operate in is highly competitive and dynamic. Only smart and efficient airlines will survive. Gone are the days of ‘I can do it alone’. As African airlines we need to realise that smart partnerships are the way forward, and the key to sustainability and survival,” said Namases.

The routing will be Nairobi to Windhoek via Lusaka or Nairobi to Windhoek via Johannesburg.

Kenya Airways was founded in 1977 and flies to 59 destinations worldwide, 47 of which are in Africa, carrying over three million passengers annually. Kenya Airways has a fleet of 42 aircraft. With an order of 31 aircraft over the next three years of which nine are 787 Dreamliners.

The airline, which is 26,73 percent owned by Air France KLM, last month reported a pretax loss of 10,83 billion shillings (US$126.8 million) for the financial period ended March this year. That followed a 57% drop in pretax profit the previous year.

Management blamed the festering euro zone debt crisis, fears of unrest during Kenya’s March presidential election, and a string of gun and grenade attacks on Kenyan soil following its foray into Somalia in pursuit of al Shabaab militants.

The airline, which had previously only made a full-year loss once in 2009 since listing in 1996, made a loss per share of 6,35 shillings, compared with earnings of 3,58 shillings the previous year, as its net profit margin tumbled to minus eight percent from a positive 1,5 percent previously.

Its shares were plumeted at the bourse, dropping six percent to a touch above their 2013 low of 10 shillings. Cargo ferried rose 18 percent during the year after the airline acquired a Boeing 747 freighter and put it on busy China and Nigeria routes, although yields inched down 2,6 percent.

Passenger traffic edged up to 3,67 million while revenue per passenger kilometre declined due to a drop in travellers from Europe and rising competition from Gulf carriers like Emirates and Qatar Airways. It said it expected to cut costs through the modernisation of its fleet with more fuel-efficient Embraers and Boeing B-787 Dreamliner planes.

– Additional reporting by Reuters.

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