Companies

China Southern Airlines to fly to Nairobi thrice a week

nbi

The Chinese airline will ply the Guangzhou-Nairobi route three times a week, starting August. PHOTO | FILE

China Southern Airlines is set to begin flying to Nairobi later this year, stepping up competition for Kenya Airways which launched flights to Guangzhou in 2013.

The Chinese airline will ply the Guangzhou-Nairobi route three times a week, starting August.

The carrier will operate Monday, Wednesday and Friday flights between the two cities using an Airbus A330-200 aircraft which can carry 300 passengers.

The airline is expected to officially announce details of the flight launch today. Guangzhou serves as a connection point to cities in Asia and the Far East, where travel by African businessmen looking to purchase goods has been on the rise.

Kenya Airways launched daily, non-stop flights to Guangzhou in November 2013. The two carriers signed a code-sharing agreement at the time.
China has emerged as a key trading partner for African countries besides being a target market for the tourism industry.

Earlier this year Michael Kinyanjui, the Kenyan Ambassador to China, said that the two countries were working together to make air travel between the two countries easier by increasing travel frequencies.

The partnership follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding between China and Kenya on cooperation of tourism in September last year.