Kenya Airways Expands To Eldoret, Adds More Flights

National airline Kenya Airways (KQ) announced on Friday, February 23 that it will begin weekly flights to Eldoret in Uasin Gishu County.

In a statement, KQ revealed that the move was informed by customers who had requested that the airline extend its expansive air network to the town, which is eyeing to become the fifth city in the Republic of Kenya.

The move comes as good news to KQ customers operating in Western Kenya and neighbouring counties since they will have an opportunity to fly five times a week to Eldoret.

The maiden trip to Eldoret will be on March 25, 2024, and onwards, KQ will be flying between Nairobi and Eldoret on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

A photo of Eldoret International Airport. /FILE

Though the times at which the airline is expected to operate the route were yet to be released, usually it takes 1 hour and 5 minutes for a flight from Nairobi to Eldoret and back.

Furthermore, KQ will debut flights to Mozambique's capital city, Maputo from June 14, 2024, with a frequency of three times a week on the following days; Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.

“In response to the steady recovery and demand for air travel, we have expanded our operations with increased frequencies to five destinations within our network and expanded our Africa network to Eldoret, Kenya and Maputo, Mozambique," KQ's Chief Commercial and Customer Officer Julius Thairu announced.

"Our focus for FY2024 will be to continue with strategic and targeted growth to meet growing demand as the airline targets bottom-line revenue growth. The network expansion is reflective of our mission of propelling Africa’s growth by connecting its people cultures and markets.”

Other than the new destinations, Kenya Airways also announced an increase in the frequency of flights on its active routes.

For New York in the United States (US), KQ will increase its peak frequencies from June 15, 2024, offering two additional weekly flights, with flights on Thursdays and Saturdays, granting passengers more flexibility when travelling to the iconic city nicknamed 'The Big Apple'.

The airline will also increase its flights to Paris, France from July 5, 2024, with two additional weekly flights. Operating on Fridays and Sundays, these additional flights cater to the extra demand expected during the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games.

Other increased frequencies are as follows;

Accra, Ghana & Freetown, Sierra Leone: From June 2, 2024, Kenya Airways will increase capacity to Accra and Freetown by deploying its Boeing 787 Dreamliner (B787-8) aircraft. This enhancement will provide passengers with more comfortable and convenient travel options to these destinations.

Lagos, Nigeria: Kenya Airways will add three additional flights to Lagos, Nigeria. Starting from April 1, 2024, passengers can enjoy one additional weekly flight on Saturdays, followed by two additional flights from June 3, 2024, on Mondays and Thursdays.

"All these new destinations and increased frequencies are now live on Global Distribution Systems (GDS) and available for booking," added the statement.

This comes after the National Treasury cleared more than half of Kenya Airways’ guaranteed debt with a fresh Ksh6.9 billion payment in the quarter that ended in December, meaning that the government exchequer offset Ksh53.7 billion out of a Ksh69.9 billion KQ debt it took over last year as part of a wider strategy to restructure the operations of the national carrier.

Furthermore, the airline signed a series of codesharing agreements with other global airlines, the latest one being with Vietnam Airlines, allowing customers of each airline to book through each other’s platforms.

”Travellers can buy single-ticket itineraries on Kenya Airways’ flights for their entire trip and take advantage of hassle-free flight benefits, including the airline’s baggage allowance, in addition to convenient bag check-through to the final destination,” the airline announced in a previous statement.

Codeshare flights are where airlines agree to sell each other seats on their own.