Kenya Airways targets business travel in West Africa with new routes

Kenya Airways (KQ), the national carrier of Kenya, has announced that it will introduce a new service between Accra and Dakar effective December 11, 2022.

KQ will become the only airline to operate a connection between Ghana and Senegal, the airline said in a statement.

The new route “is expected to tap into the travel demand from corporate travelers, traders as well as leisure travelers,” between the two capitals, the airline added.

The new route will be served by a B737-800 twice a week from Nairobi to Accra to Dakar and return to Nairobi via Accra. The new connection increases KQ’s flight options to Dakar to four times per week and nine times a week to Accra.

Kenya Airways chief commercial and customer officer Julius Thairu said that the connection is part of a “bigger picture” to support connectivity across Africa. “The new connection will offer our guests more travel and connectivity options within West Africa. Strategically, the bigger picture is to support the Single African Air Transport Market and the African Continental Free Trade Area which are key pillars for Africa’s growth, by growing and deepening our network connections within the continent,” Thairu explained.

According to KQ the new Nairobi-Accra-Dakar-Accra-Nairobi service will offer its passengers more flight options and choices within West Africa and in and out of East Africa, as well as provide seamless connections through Nairobi to the Middle East, India, China, Europe, and the United States.

African airlines increase services and connectivity to West Africa
With this new route Kenya Airways joins a range of African airlines that have opened new routes to West Africa or announced an intent to fly to destinations in the region.

Air Tanzania will open new routes to West and Central Africa in 2023. TAAG Angola Airlines commenced three weekly flights to Accra from November 9, 2022. Ethiopian Airlines commenced three weekly passenger services to Washington DC via Lomé, Togo from June 1, 2022, and Uganda Airlines announced plans to commence its first-ever service to Nigeria before the end of 2022.