A plan to form a Pan-African airline between South African and Kenya Airways will be at the centre of discussions when President Cyril Ramaphosa visits Nairobi today.
President Ramaphosa will be in Nairobi for bilateral talks on invitation of President William Ruto.
Kenya Airways, whose pilots were forced back to work yesterday by the courts after four days of boycott, signed a Strategic Partnership Framework with South African Airways last November, which formed a key milestone towards co-starting a Pan African Airline Group by 2023.
The talks, which were initiated between Mr Ramaphosa and former President Uhuru Kenyatta, are expected to resume with Dr Ruto.
“We are aware that the formation of the Pan African Airline is one of the issues that will be discussed in the meeting but much of this information can be issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” said an official at KQ.
The outgoing Transport Principal Secretary Joseph Njoroge had in an earlier interview told the Business Daily that the talks were to resume after the new government was in place.
“With the change in leadership, much could not be done and the talks on planned partnership will resume with the new government in place,” said Mr Njoroge.
The partnership framework between the two airlines followed the Memorandum of Cooperation that the carriers signed in September to foster the exchange of knowledge, expertise, innovation, digital technologies, and best practice.
The Strategic Partnership Framework will see both airlines work together to increase passenger traffic, cargo opportunities, and general trade by taking advantage of strengths in South Africa, Kenya, and Africa.
