Kenya airways has started the much awaited flights to Luanda, the Angolan capital city to enable travelers from Kenya and other parts of the world access the oil-rich nation directly.
The airline company will operate the route on a code share agreement with Angolan Airlines (TAAG) twice a week every Tuesday and Friday.
Transport minister Amos Kimunya who officiated the inaugural flights to Angola noted that passengers flying from Angola to Nairobi would now experience a shorter connection time to 41 other destinations in Africa, Middle East, Europe and the Far East.
“This Luanda flight will now facilitate trade with Brazil via Luanda, a reduction of more than 50 percent of the distance, which translates to a significant reduction of the cost of doing business,” said the minister.
Kenya Airways has priced the inaugural flight at 50 US dollars, a special fare incentive to attract customers in the aviation market.
However, Mr. Kimunya urged Kenya Airways to come up with strategies aimed at attracting customers and tourists noting that other Airlines in Europe had already made a name for themselves in their new market.
The company’s Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Titus Naikuni said, Angola is an important destination for the airline because of its rising economic importance as a trading partner for several African and European countries.
Naikuni said Angola had proved itself as one of Africa’s top promoters of Sports after successfully hosting the Africa Cup of Nations early this year.
The CEO reiterated that the company would pursue its growth objective in the course of the year by adding new routes to its network and improving efficiency on existing ones.
“We are doing this by adding new aircraft and establishing additional frequencies on the high traffic routes to ensure we offer more alternative flights to our customers. We expect that by the end of the year, we will have taken delivery of two long-range Embraer 190LRs to serve our regional routes,” he added.

CAROL MUTHONDU