Kenya Airways Partners with African Airlines to Revolutionize Intra-Continental Travel
Kenya Airways has joined forces with other African airlines in a groundbreaking initiative aimed at revolutionizing intra-continental travel. This strategic partnership is set to deliver substantial savings for passengers while enhancing air travel accessibility across Africa.
Allan Kilavuka, CEO of Kenya Airways, highlighted the airline’s commitment to consolidating African carriers, noting that such mergers could drastically reduce the cost of air travel across the continent.
Kilavuka pointed out that many African airlines struggle to maintain profitability due to insufficient fleet sizes, with a fleet of at least 50 aircraft needed to achieve sustainable operations.
By merging, African countries could create regional aviation hubs, streamline operations, and eliminate unnecessary overhead costs. Kilavuka emphasized that the financial savings from these efficiencies would be passed on to passengers, making air travel more affordable.
“This collaboration is key to revolutionizing how Africans travel, and it could lead to a significant reduction in fares,” Kilavuka said.
The CEO also stressed that slow progress in implementing the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), an initiative introduced in 2018 to liberalize air travel, has hindered the growth of national airlines.
The SAATM initiative aims to allow free movement of air travel across the continent, boosting tourism and trade. Accelerating its implementation would further improve the financial health of African airlines and increase demand for air travel across the region, Kilavuka added.
With this partnership, Kenya Airways and its African counterparts hope to reshape the aviation landscape, creating a more efficient, cost-effective, and connected continent.
Source: TTW
