Air Arabia’s China plans bound to excite Kenya’s low-cost carrier fans

Cheaper flying options are always a matter of keen interest and it was no surprise that queries started to come in when news broke a few days ago that Air Arabia, currently operating daily flights between Sharjah / UAE and Nairobi, was planning to introduce low cost long haul services to China.

The flights between Sharjah and Nairobi are already in great demand by many Kenyan expatriates working in the UAE, as Sharjah is only a stone throw away from Dubai and well connected to all the other Emirates. Smart travelers watching their pocket book have also started to fly to Kenya from destinations beyond Air Arabia’s hub, since the network of the airline has since it early days spread considerably.

The addition of flights to China, no full list of destinations is available at this time however, will open an entirely now range of options for travelers to and from that country, at probably considerable savings in terms of fares, making traders and expatriates the main target of sales activities, as and when the flights appear on the booking system. The only comments available from the airline were a confirmation that bilateral talks between the UAE and China had been concluded and that Air Arabia had secured traffic rights. Further details will no doubt follow in due course.

The UAE carriers Emirates and Etihad currently offer flights into China via their respective hubs in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, connecting with their services from across East Africa, as does Qatar Airways of course via Doha. Worth watching for sure, as it is always worth watching this space for breaking and regular aviation news from Eastern Africa.