RwandAir has announced its plans to almost double the number of flights that it operates between Kigali and London, increasing from four flights a week to a daily rotation. The new schedule will come into operation at the end of October, with the carrier keen to capitalize on extra demand while growing its European footprint.

Daily overnight flights

The services in both directions will operate overnight, with the outbound service departing RwandAir’s Kigali International Airport (KGL) base at 23:35 local time as flight number WB710. This flight will touch down at London Heathrow (LHR) at 06:20 the following morning, after a block time of eight hours and 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, after spending just over 14 hours on the ground, the aircraft will depart London Heathrow as flight number WB711 at 20:30 local time. The return leg is scheduled to be 15 minutes shorter, with its arrival at Kigali International scheduled eight hours and 30 minutes later, at 07:00 local time the following morning.

RwandAir will operate these new daily flights, which commence on October 29th this year, with Airbus A330 aircraft. According to a statement released by the Rwandan flag carrier, these have 30 business class and 244 economy class seats onboard, with the former of these cabins offering passengers lie-flat comfort.

Sub-£600 returns

Perhaps unsurprisingly, RwandAir is the only carrier operating direct flights on the aerial corridor between Kigali and London. Despite this monopoly, passengers will be able to buy return tickets for less than £600, with the airline noting that these “start from £587 [$755] in economy class and £2,199 [$2,827] in business class, including all taxes and charges.” RwandAir CEO Yvonne Makolo stated that: “London is an incredibly important market for RwandAir, so we are incredibly excited to be adding direct daily flights from our home in Kigali to London Heathrow. We know these new daily direct flights will offer customers the convenience and connectivity which they have long asked for, and look forward to welcoming more visitors to Rwanda.”

RwandAir is mainly targeting point-to-point traffic with these flights, noting that they will be ideal “for those looking to see mountain gorillas, experience Rwanda’s majestic scenery or go on a safari in Akagera National Park.” However, the airline has also identified the potential for them to accommodate connecting traffic, and adds that passengers from the UK can transfer to a myriad of destinations via Kigali.

RwandAir has served London for more than six years

It has now been over six years since RwandAir first flew to the British capital, with flights from Kigali to London Gatwick Airport (LGW) via Brussels having commenced in May 2017. Three years later, the success of the route prompted the carrier to switch from Gatwick to Heathrow, and, late last year, the flights became non-stop.

Source: Simpleflying

IndiGo has announced non-stop flights to Nairobi, Kenya, as part of its larger international expansion program. After commanding a massive lead in the domestic market, IndiGo has been actively pursuing its goal of overseas expansion. The airline previously announced its intention to expand to several new destinations in Africa and Central Asia, and Nairobi is part of that plan.

Hello, Nairobi!

IndiGo is set to start non-stop flights between Mumbai and Nairobi, which will become the budget carrier’s 27th international and 105th overall destination in the 6E network. The airline has opened the booking for these daily flights on its website, and the new service will begin on August 5th. This will be IndiGo’s first scheduled commercial service to Africa. Vinay Malhotra, Head of Global Sales at IndiGo, commented,

“Kenya is our first destination country in Sub-Saharan Africa and encompasses Savannah, Lakelands, as well as mountain highlands…”

John Chirchir, A.g. CEO Kenya Tourism Board, feels this would be great for the tourism sector of the country and business in general. He added,

“This direct access to Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city and a regional hub for business and travel, will provide leisure tourists, business visitors, and investors with a seamless connection to the destination, in addition to our national carrier, Kenya Airways … Through our joint marketing and sales campaigns, we strive to solidify Kenya’s appeal and attract more Indian travelers to explore its wonders.”

Competition

Africa has traditionally not featured heavily on the network maps of Indian carriers. Passenger demand for non-stop flights to the continent is mainly met by African airlines, but things are changing gradually.

Air India did start a non-stop flight between Ahmedabad and Nairobi as part of its repatriation mission during COVID called the Vande Bharat Mission. The airline now has thrice-weekly service to Nairobi from its Delhi hub.

IndiGo’s direct competition from Mumbai will come from Kenya Airways, which operates two daily services to Nairobi. The airline deploys its Boeing 737 aircraft on the route, offering 16 business and 129 economy class seats. It remains to be seen how IndiGo fares on this route eventually and if it enters any partnerships in the future for the markets in Kenya and Africa.

Big plans

Nairobi is part of IndiGo’s larger plan of international expansion. Earlier this month, the carrier announced the addition of six new destinations across Asia and Africa, connecting destinations such as Nairobi, Jakarta, Tashkent, and Baku, among others, in the coming months.

The carrier is also utilizing its codeshare partnership with Turkish Airlines to offer its passengers convenient connections to the West. It currently provides connections to more than 30 destinations in Europe that offer access to countries including Scotland, Bulgaria, Spain, the Netherlands, Greece, Belgium, Hungary, Denmark, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom, Malta, France, the Czech Republic, Israel, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and Portugal.

IndiGo has even expanded the codeshare agreement to destinations in the US, allowing access to New York, Boston, Chicago, and Washington via Istanbul, effective June 15th. Currently, IndiGo commands a share of more than 60% of the Indian domestic market and is preparing to bolster its international presence with these new services and codeshare connections.

Source: Simple Flying

Kenya Airways’ new loyalty program is hoping to attract its existing Flying Blue members.

It’s been exactly a month since Kenya Airways announced its new loyalty program, Asante Rewards. Simple Flying had the chance to speak to Julius Thairu, Chief Commercial & Product Officer at Kenya Airways, about what the future will look like and the first steps in the public rollout. Membership will be key, and Thairu is hoping some of the airline’s most loyal customers will try out, and stick to, Asante.

Existing members welcome

For nearly two decades, Kenya Airways customers were invited to make their loyalty accounts at Air France-KLM‘s Flying Blue, one of the many agreements under their joint venture. However, as that deal wound down, the carrier decided it was time to regionalize its loyalty scheme and reward members closer to home. But there’s no point in creating all this infrastructure if you can’t get the high spenders over.

Thairu noted that the status match is only available to those who joined Flying Blue through Kenya Airways, so Asante is not competing with the program. Alliances avoid trying to poach members from their own ranks, but since Asante is new, Flying Blue customers have the chance to join two programs at the same elite level.

Thairu emphasized that this offer is only for those who joined through Kenya Airways and have a majority of their flying with the carrier in the region. Notably, these members will be status matched instantly and be given a lower tier threshold to renew their status for the next year as well. You also will not lose your Flying Blue status, the same as any match offer.

Details being sketched out

Asante Rewards is very much in its infancy and is slowly building out its core features, including earning and spending miles with partners. On this, Thairu noted that the program is in close contact with Air France, KLM, and Delta to draw out its first distance-based award charts. This can be a major factor in influencing members to join, with cheaper reward tickets being the best to generate interest.

However, for those living in Kenya or flying with Kenya Airways primarily, Asante promises to provide more regional benefits as one of Africa’s only major loyalty programs. Expect partnerships with local retailers, online portals, and other avenues to increase your mileage balance on a daily basis. While it will be a long road to becoming a full-fledged program, it is promising to see work done toward developing Asante.

To earn status, members can also just fly with Kenya Airways (KQ), with no minimum points needed. Here are the requirements:

• Silver Elite: 15,000 points or 12 flights on KQ or partners
• Gold Elite Plus: 30,000 points or 25 flights
• Platinum Elite Plus: 60,000 points or 50 flights

Asante hasn’t listed out the definition of partners, but it’s likely only flights carrying KQ’s code. While 50 sectors is ambitious, 12 or 25 flights for frequent flyers is quite achievable and perhaps an easy path to unlocking SkyTeam Elite Plus benefits.

Source: Simple Flying

The Seychelles flag carrier has seen a significant increase in passenger traffic but needs more capacity to meet the demand. Although passenger numbers continue rising, several challenges hinder African airlines from meeting the pent-up demand for air travel.

Several markets and airlines have recovered from the pandemic, recording significant growth and net profits. Although it has not published its financial performance for FY22, Air Seychelles confirmed that the demand in the region had surpassed pre-pandemic levels. The airline’s Acting CEO, Sandy Benoiton, said in an interview with Simple Flying;

“In the whole ecosystem, there has been so much disruption that it is going to take time to be able to match the demand that is there. The demand is probably at or even above pre-pandemic, but I think one of the biggest issues is being able to serve the demand, particularly the legacy of the bigger carriers.”

The incredibly high cost of fuel and maintenance, supply chain issues, and restricted access to certain markets has stopped some airlines from carrying as many passengers as they had planned.

Increase in passenger numbers

To survive the pandemic, the airline underwent several changes, and it is one of the few African carriers that essentially never stopped flying. Working with the government, it converted its passenger jets into cargo aircraft, eventually opening the country up faster than anticipated.

The carrier also changed its fleet from the Airbus A320ceo to the A320neo to extend its range and tap into new markets. The airline fell into business administration in October 2021 and exited in November 2022, and since then, it has seen very positive results, managing to record some profits, which will be announced soon.

Apart from its regular service to Mumbai, Mauritius, Johannesburg, and Tel Aviv, the airline’s A320neos managed to fly to about 35 destinations in 2022, with chartered flights to Australia, Amsterdam, Beijing, Bucharest, Dakar, and London, to mention a few.

Passenger traffic in the region has recovered to about 110% of pre-pandemic levels, showing a positive outlook for the airline for the rest of the year. Air Seychelles is now working on developing new routes and working with partners to enhance its network.

Inaugural flights to Sri Lanka

Last week, Air Seychelles launched its inaugural flight to Colombo, Sri Lanka, its second destination in Asia. The four-hour flight from Seychelles International (SEZ) to Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) was operated on the A320neo, which was welcomed by a traditional water cannon salute.

While in Sri Lanka, the Acting CEO officially inaugurated the first Air Seychelles office in Colombo. However, the aircraft remained on the ground for about one hour and then made the return flight with 2.5 tons of cargo headed for Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport (TLV). This is another essential destination for the airline, being the second-most demanded after Johannesburg OR Tambo (JNB).

Flights between Mahé and Colombo will be operated four times a week, with two flights leaving Seychelles on Tuesdays and Saturdays, while the other two return on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Growing the airline post administration

Seychelles is a very small island country with about 100,000 people. Air Seychelles is one of the biggest businesses on the island, providing more than just air travel for the citizens. It is part of the country’s economic development, so the CEO is dedicated to growing the airline and keeping it alive.

The carrier constantly looks for new routes and opportunities to expand in line with its development strategy. At the moment, Air Seychelles is leveraging its recent partnership with Qatar Airways to increase its footprint in the global market.

The airline will also partner with Sri Lankan Airlines to allow its passengers to fly beyond Colombo to other destinations in Asia. Additionally, it is discussing codeshare agreements with more airlines, which will be announced soon.

Source: Simple Flying

Air France-KLM airline group is banking on the growing demand for passenger air services within African continent.

Setting to capture aviation business over the African continent, Air France-KLM is planning major expansion in Africa, banking on the growing demand of air services within the continent. Air France-KLM executives have rated the African skies as a strategic priority for the airline group.

Africa is the fifth biggest business area in the group’s network of 12 regional operations, behind North America, Greater China, Korea and Japan, said Marius van der Ham, the regional manager for the East and Southern Africa, Ghana and Nigeria region.

Air France-KLM has already increased capacity on its Kenya to Europe flights, by 14 percent (14%) this year, van der Ham said.

Air France-KLM operates two daily flights from Nairobi to Amsterdam and Paris, up from a daily flight to Amsterdam and five weekly flights to Paris earlier.

The group is adding three flights on its Paris to Johannesburg route, targeting the growing and higher demand for passengers during the current peak summer travel season.

Air France-KLM has also introduced new flights between Paris and Dar es Salaam in neighboring Tanzania, he said.

“Africa is really strategic for the group,” said Zoran Jelkic, a senior vice president for long haul.

Air France-KLM competes with African carriers like Ethiopian Airlines, Gulf carriers including Emirates and European airlines including British Airways, all of whom are targeting the growing African travel market.

The airline executives have expressed their feelings over the challenges facing operations and markets, including shortages of hard currencies in some destinations, making it difficult to repatriate their earnings.

The Air France-KLM Group already provides daily service to Dar es Salaam, with KLM serving the city daily.

Air France has resumed its direct flights from Paris to Dar es Salaam, making it the 31st route in Sub-Saharan Africa after a 28-year absence.

Dar es Salaam becomes the second destination in Tanzania, joining Zanzibar where the airline has been operating since October 2021 with two weekly flights into the Abeid Amani Karume International Airport in the island.

The airline had launched on June 12th, its three weekly flights to Dar es Salaam using 279-seat 787-9s, its second-smallest wide-body after the A330-200 equipment.

The French carrier had connected Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) to Dar es Salaam’s Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) a continuation of the existing service to Zanzibar with a plan to launch five nonstop weekly flights further south between Paris and Antananarivo (TNR) in Madagascar.

Flights to and from Madagascar will be operated for the first time by an Airbus A350-900, the new jewel of the company’s long-haul fleet, equipped with 34 seats in Business, 24 seats in Premium Economy and 266 seats in Economy class.

African air transport market has been growing, attracting big global air carriers including Delta Air Lines which has targeted African skies through partnerships with other, reputable air carriers.

Delta has seen an increase in demand for its African destinations and has identified it as a region of importance, setting to attract passengers traveling between the US and its various destinations in Africa.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) had indicated that passenger traffic in Africa has recovered in 2023 with growth of which Central and West Africa recorded 108 percent (108%) growth, Eastern Africa at 110 percent (110 %) and Northern Africa at 111 percent (111%) against the of 2019 growth rates.

Passenger traffic in Southern Africa has been recovering at 86 percent (86%) as positive expectations indicate rising number of passengers from Africa next year (2024).

SOURCE: eturbonews

Kenya Airways (KQ) has started talks with Uganda Airlines for interline and re-protection deals as it seeks to open access to several new destinations and offload passengers onto each other’s networks.

KQ chief executive Allan Kilavuka disclosed that the talks are at an advanced stage.

“The talks are on but the timelines are as soon as we can agree and do the set-up. These (deals) fall within our partnership pillar, which is part of our strategy. It is also in line with our pan-African strategy,” Mr Kilavuka told Business Daily.

An interline deal allows passengers to check in once for all the flights on the itinerary, receive boarding passes and transfer luggage from the first airline without having to collect and drop it off.

Ugandan Airlines says it is keen to seal the deal before the year ends as the carrier seeks to grow revenues four years after it was revived.

“Conversations are ongoing with Kenya Airways for both interline and re-protection. A lot is going on around the two and we hope to have an agreement by the end of the year,” Peggy Macharia, country manager of Uganda Airlines in Kenya, said.

Re-protection allows an airline to offload its passengers onto a rival carrier with whom they share a destination when the affected airline is not able to fly on a select destination they share due to a mechanical failure or change of schedule.

Source: Business Daily

Uganda Airlines has Monday launched its maiden flight to the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, as it readies to establish scheduled flights to the Gulf nation later this year.

The national carrier is carrying 200 Muslim citizens making the trip for the Hajj pilgrimage aboard its 258 capacity Airbus A330 aircraft.

“We have had our maiden flight to Jeddah, and this is the first time it has happened in 40 years. It is a very historic moment for the country and us as an airline,” Uganda Airlines chief executive officer Jennifer Bamuturaki said.

Ms Bamuturaki added that another 250 passengers would be flown to Jeddah on Tuesday.

Ugandan Muslim pilgrims have in the past been forced to connect through other countries for their pilgrimage, making the journey long, expensive and tedious.

Hajj is an at least once-in-a-lifetime obligation for all able-bodied Muslims of financial means to make. Some two to three million people participate in the six-day ritual annually.

About 50 Ugandans heading to Mecca were stranded at the Khartoum airport when the deadly Sudan war pitting generals broke out in April.

According to Ms Bamuturaki, the airline plans to establish scheduled flights between Uganda and Saudi Arabia by September this year.

“The operator’s permit that we currently have will go up to July next year and we shall extend it to July (the year after). On our scheduled flights, we have a plan to start flying to Jeddah in September and we shall be doing three flights a week,” she said.

Currently, the airline flies regional routes –Nairobi and Mombasa in Kenya, South Sudan capital Juba, Kinshasa in DR Congo, and Kilimanjaro, Dar es Salaam, and Zanzibar in Tanzania. It also flies to Mogadishu, Somalia and Bujumbura in Burundi.

SOURCE: The East African

Aviation stakeholders have been working together for several years to reduce the impact of air travel on the environment. Sustainability has been the top priority, with airlines, airports, and manufacturers investing millions in research, new aircraft technology, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and other emission reduction initiatives. Although it is a top priority, not every airline can afford to invest the same funds to implement these environmental solutions. It is even more difficult in Africa, where carriers face significantly high operating costs due to insufficient infrastructure and a weakening economic climate.

Operating in a costly environment

The cost of operating an airline in Africa is much higher than in any other region, with fuel and maintenance being the most expensive costs. Charges for airlines are also 8% higher on the continent, which is weighing them down and preventing them from growing.

As global carriers continue recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has predicted that airlines in Europe, the Middle East, and North America will return to profitability in 2023. However, African airlines are expected to go through another year of combined losses and only start recording net profits after 2024.

In addition to financial limitations, these airlines face legal, political, and legislative barriers. As several governments do not prioritize aviation, these are some challenges African carriers have to navigate before focusing on environmental sustainability.

Balancing economic and environmental sustainability

The industry is working to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 mainly through sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), new aircraft technology and alternative propulsion systems, improving airport infrastructure and air traffic management systems, and carbon offsetting and reduction schemes. To achieve this, annual clean energy investment worldwide must increase to over $4 trillion by 2030.

These are significant figures which cannot be handled by airlines recording net losses every year. Before these carriers can invest in environmental schemes, they must focus on financial recovery. Asked if African airlines can prioritize environmental sustainability over financial sustainability, TAAG Angola Airlines CEO Eduardo Farein said at AviaDev;

“I think that is affordable, only under one condition; the airlines are still surviving, because the first thing to being sustainable is to stay alive. If the airline doesn’t exist, then we’re not talking about this, right? Then, even though everybody is sharing the same goals about the carbon footprint and all these questions, the first thing to say is whether this environment is survivable? My guess is that it will be extremely difficult that it will happen if certain conditions are not being addressed properly.”

To survive, African carriers will focus on proper financing and investing in new machines, among other initiatives that ensure economic stability. Similarly, it does not mean that these airlines will disregard environmental solutions and focus on making profits. Kenya Airways CEO Allan Kilavuka said;

“To me, sustainability talks about what we do to meet today’s needs but not compromising on the future. It talks about longevity, for the long-haul, so doing things that will not compromise our future, and that encompasses not just the environment. So that is what sustainability is all about, the social, economic, and environmental.”

He added that the African continent faces problems more significant than sustainability, including water shortages, poverty, and food security. Implementing some environmental solutions will increase the cost of air travel, preventing the growth and contribution of aviation on the continent.

Protecting the environment while growing economically

Airlink representative Linden Birns said that environmental and economic sustainability are not mutually exclusive. Environmental factors, fuel availability, inflation, and interest rates are codependent, affecting how an airline operates.

Although stakeholders are engaging to enhance aviation’s contribution to Africa’s development, the current connectivity is essential for the market’s growth. Additionally, there are no railways or roads to connect distant destinations, so aviation plays a pivotal role in moving people and goods around the continent.

African airlines are participating in more achievable initiatives to reduce the impact of aviation on the environment. These include recycling, new technology, system development, strategic routes and schedules, and flying on the best path to reduce fuel burn. Some recent milestones include Ethiopian Airlines’ A350 delivery using SAF and Kenya Airways’ most sustainable flight between Nairobi and Amsterdam.

Moving forward, the continent’s growth depends on the growth of the aviation sector. African airlines will not focus on environmental sustainability at the expense of economic growth because air travel remains critical, essential, and even the only option in some regions.

Air connectivity and emissions in Africa

Africa is home to about 1.4 billion people, nearly 18% of the world’s population. Due to the lack of connectivity and closed borders, the continent only contributes about 2.1% of global air travel. Similarly, about 80% of air travel in the continent is provided by non-African carriers.

Aviation accounts for about 2.5% of global emissions. According to the figures, African carriers contribute about 0.005% of global CO2 emissions, a significantly low percentage. Additionally, Africa’s top three biggest airlines have a combined fleet of about 270 aircraft.

African stakeholders will eventually invest in SAF and other environmentally impactful activities. However, as the lowest carbon emitters, they are calling for assistance from the larger carriers operating over 500 aircraft and significantly contributing to the CO2 emissions, so they can work together towards the common goal.

The potential of SAF production in Africa

Given the fast land, feedstock, population, human capital, and resources that Africa has, there is great potential to produce SAF on the continent. Although it would make SAF for African airlines cheaper, it would still be more expensive than fossil fuels.

Another challenge is getting the authorities and governments to invest in SAF production. They are tackling other issues like water, food, and electricity shortages, housing, and other challenges that have been placed ahead of aviation. Uganda Airlines CEO Jenifer Bamuturaki said:

“We are grappling with losses, and now we’re expecting to go back to our governments and say you need to invest in this thing called SAF. Even having the governments understand how the aviation and airline industry operates is a great challenge.”

Although African carriers will prioritize survival and economic growth, they will simultaneously invest in environmentally friendly solutions. Among these is the implementation of the Single Air Transport Market (SAATM) to promote point-to-point travel and reduce the amount of fuel burnt flying between certain destinations.

SOURCE: Simpleflying