KQ, British Airways deal eases flying in Europe, Africa

Passengers flying Kenya Airways to the United Kingdom can now connect to 26 cities in the UK and Europe after the national carrier signed a code-share agreement with British Airways.

The partnership will boost business travel and tourism between African destinations and Europe.

The move will give tourists and business people additional travel options and better flight schedules through the two airlines’ hubs in Nairobi and London.

“The code-share agreement with British Airways to provide our travellers with a seamless journey...is very strategic. It will increase choices for thousands of passengers and will allow for smooth connectivity to a significant number of new destinations – particularly throughout Africa and Europe,” said KQ Chief Commercial Officer Julius Thairu.

He noted that the partnership would aid the recovery of international travel and meet rising demand.

“After a difficult 20 months with global travel restrictions, it’s fantastic to see travel between the UK and Africa resuming,” said British Airways Head of Alliances Christopher Fordyce, adding that the new deal will make “that bucket list trip even easier to plan” for customers.

Kenya Airways said Friday that the deal allows it to expand its offerings by placing its flight code on British Airways’ services from London to Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow, Barcelona, and Munich.

Other destinations are Dublin, Aberdeen, Frankfurt, Zurich, Paris, Amsterdam and holiday hotspots Athens, Malaga and Lisbon.

Similarly, the British carrier’s customers will connect seamlessly to Mombasa, Zanzibar, Lusaka, Doula, Addis Ababa, Entebbe, Mauritius, Seychelles, among other African destinations.

KQ added four flights weekly up from two on the UK route this month after Kenya was removed from England’s Covid-19 red list.

British Airways resumed flights on the London-Nairobi route last month.