Kenya Airways prepares to launch Abu Dhabi flights in July

(eTN) – Kenya Airways (KQ) has confirmed they will commence flights to Abu Dhabi, initially three times a week, using a two class B737-800NG.

(eTN) – Kenya Airways (KQ) has confirmed they will commence flights to Abu Dhabi, initially three times a week, using a two class B737-800NG. KQ 316 will be leaving at 1925 hours every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to reach Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates at 0105 hours local UAE time, before returning to Nairobi with an ETA at 0555 hours the next morning being Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Etihad, the national airline of Abu Dhabi, is presently flying daily between Abu Dhabi and Nairobi, using an Airbus A320. The inaugural flight will leave Nairobi on July 1 of this year.

The flights are part of a partnership agreement signed a few weeks ago between the two airline CEOs, Naikuni and Hogan, in which the two carriers agreed on a wide range of cooperation measures. This is likely to have come as a result of Etihad and major KQ shareholder KLM/Air France aligning themselves with codeshared flights between Amsterdam and Paris to Abu Dhabi, as well as other areas, thought to benefit the clients of both airlines with a wider range of flights.

The move is also seen as a strategic expansion and widening of Etihadโ€™s network into Africa, where they are presently underrepresented but can now use the flights of Kenya Airways via Nairobi to reach literally any part of the continent. Before the end of next year โ€œThe Pride of Africaโ€ will be flying to every political and commercial capital in Africa.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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