Kenya Airways is expanding into the Slovenian market, with a new code-sharing agreement with Air France to carry passengers between Paris and Ljubljana, the capital and largest city of Slovenia.
The national carrier and Air France in 2019 agreed to share the route but the deal had not been implemented.
Codesharing is an agreement between two or more airlines to sell seats for the same flight which means that passengers enjoy benefits such as the purchase of a single ticket, a single check-in, and seamless connections at transit points.
The airline has placed its code KQ onto Air France's Tuesday and Thursday services between the two countries to offer indirect flights.
"Kenya Airways is extending its reach into the Slovenian market. The carrier has placed its designator code and flight numbers (KQ3812/13) onto Air France’s Tuesday and Thursday service between Paris Charles de Gaulle and Ljubljana," read the statement.
This agreement will allow customers to enjoy flexibility and choice with smooth connections via Paris and Slovenia.
The code-sharing agreement with Slovenia joins a growing list of similar pacts signed between KQ and international airlines including Vietnam.
Currently, the Royal Dutch Airline and the Netherlands' national carrier, KLM, Genrmany's Lufthansa, Turkish Airline, and Swiss International Airlines ply the Nairobi to Slovenia route among other carriers.
Kenya Airways has been expanding its network and reach through various code-sharing agreements with various international airlines, a move that could help the loss-making state company make some revenue.
Code sharing is a marketing arrangement in which an airline places its designator code on a flight operated by another airline, and sells tickets for that flight.
In August 2023, KQ and Delta Air Lines expanded a codeshare partnership offering customers more travel options across the US and Africa.
In a deal announced on August 7, 2023, the airlines expanded their partnership on KQ’s non-stop flight from Nairobi to New York to hand passengers additional flying options to 31 destinations in Africa and 57 cities across the US and Canada.
In December 2023, KQ also inked a deal to expand its codeshare partnership with South African Airways (SAA). The new deal includes direct flights from South Africa to South America.
"Kenya Airways had previously maintained the agreement in 2019 but it has not been operational since. Ljubljana is currently the carrier's only codeshare service to a market in the former Yugoslavia," read the statement in part.
