Domestic carriers have doubled flight frequency on nearly all routes, riding on improved demand for air travel following the reopening of the country from a Covid-19 lockdown.

A spot check shows that several airlines including Jambojet and Safarilink have upped the flights per week on routes such as Kisumu, Mombasa, Eldoret, Malindi and Diani, in what look set to boost their revenues.

Passengers travelling to routes such as Kisumu, Eldoret, Ukunda and Malindi can now fly two times per day from their hubs in Nairobi up from once per day when the carriers resumed operation in Mid-July.

“We have increased our frequencies because we realised there is a huge desire for domestic travel after the Covid-19 restrictions were partially lifted by the state,” said Safailink chief executive Alex Avedi.

“We are also not pricing for profit at the moment. The air ticket we are charging is meant to keep operations going.”

Under the new changes, Safailink is flying to Kisumu 14 times per week up from seven. This includes an additional evening flight to Kisumu on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Safarilink has also increased its frequency on the Diani and Vipingo route to 14 times per week up from seven.

It has also introduced flights to Malindi where it is flying seven times per week.

Jambojet is also flying to Eldoret, Ukunda and Malindi 14 times per week up from seven times.

Jambojet is, however flying to Kisumu 24 times per week up from 14 when it resumed operations in July. It is also flying to Mombasa 32 times per week up from 21 per week.

The increase in frequencies by Jambojet comes barely a month after the carrier increased fares in five of its domestic routes including Kisumu, Mombasa, Eldoret and Malindi and Diani.

Passengers going to Kisumu, Mombasa, Eldoret, and Malindi have been paying a one-way minimum fare of Sh6,600 up from Sh4,800 on the routes from Nairobi since last month, reflecting a 37.5 percent increase.

The carrier’s passenger capacity has increased from 30 percent in the weeks after Kenya resumed domestic flights in July 1 to 58 percent in September.

“We are seeing a slight increase in passenger numbers flying the domestic routes. This is the reason why we are increasing our frequencies to accommodate more numbers,” said Jambojet acting managing director Karanja Ndegwa.

Meanwhile, the Kenya Association of Air Operators (KAAO) said its members are yet to receive the Sh3 billion government bailout it had requested six months ago.

Source: https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/economy/domestic-carriers-doubleflights-on-rising-demand-2481470

Vegans and vegetarians have become accustomed to getting the short end of the (gluten-free?) breadstick from many airlines.

Some – especially in Asia and the middle east – are better than others when catering for non-carnivores, and the gap continues to close: even Singapore Airlines is now offering a vegan version of its signature satay sticks, using plant-based Impossible Meat.

Qatar Airways has now taken a confident culinary stride forward with the launch of ‘fully vegan’ à la carte menu in business class.

Dishes on offer include smoked moutabel, spiral courgettes and arrabbiata sauce, tofu and spinach tortellini, asian barbecue tofu, noodles, scallions and shiitake, fried tofu with vegetable tajine, cauliflower couscous and kalamata bruschetta, and chickpea flour omelette.

However, the airline says this isn’t just for vegans – the move is designed to cater to increasing demand for plant-based food.

“We always strive to provide our customers with authentic and indulgent experiences in the skies,” says Qatar Airways Group CEO His Excellency Akbar Al Baker.

“We are delighted to incorporate a vegan main course choice to our on-board menu, offering our passengers yet another lifestyle choice that redefines the expectations from a five-star airline.”

Qatar Airways’ vegan business class menu is available on all flights from the airline’s hub at Doha’s Hamad International Airport, and selected flights into Doha. Source: https://www.executivetraveller.com/news/qatar-airways-vegan-business-class-menu

Budget carrier Jambojet is yet to issue a date for resumption of international flights two months since the international borders were opened.

The carrier’s chief executive officer Ndegwa Karanja says the company has not settled on a date when to resume the Kigali and Entebbe flights.

This comes at a time when Uganda, which was the remaining country in East African Community to open up its international airspace, lifted the ban last week allowing international flights to fly back to Entebbe.

“We still don’t have a date when we are resuming Entebbe and Kigali flights,” Mr Karanja told the Business Daily in an interview.

International flights, which had been grounded by Covid-19 in March this year, resumed on August 1 having been preceded by domestic flights on July 15.

Jambojet said that it was delaying international flights because of low demand and strict Covid-19 requirement on compliance before the citizens from other countries are admitted in foreign countries.

Rwanda’s Ministry of infrastructure, for instance announced that passengers entering Kigali will be required to take a second test upon arrival with the results expected within 24 hours. This will be in addition to the test that they would have taken in their home countries in the last 72 hours.

Kigali will require international passengers arriving in Rwanda to quarantine in selected hotel rooms that cost between $20 to $40 dollars a day, implying that travellers will have to incur double cost to enter the country.

East African citizens are required to pay $50 for the Covid-19 test while foreigners coming outside of the region will have to part with $100 for the procedure.

The carrier suspended flight to Rwanda and Uganda in March citing low passenger numbers to these regional routes.

Source: https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/corporate/companies/jambojet-yetset-date-for-international-flights-2480286

The Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA), the professional member body for certified travel agents in Kenya, today announced that it has partnered with PTG travel to provide KATA certified agents with preferential access to concierge transfer services for their clients.

Through this strategic partnership, PTG travel will provide KATA certified agents with a platform that has been localized for the Kenya market. Agencies across Kenya can now take advantage of the ease and simplicity of the platform to enable them book transfer services for their clients seamlessly. PTG travel operates a 24-7 call center with a dedicated concierge team based at the JKIA airport that will ensure personalized services delivery for the clients of the KATA certified agents.

 “We are excited to partner with PTG travel,” said Agnes Mucuha, CEO of the Kenya Association of Travel Agents. “It’s clear that travel agents in Kenya are looking for new affordable solutions to attract and retain their clients. With PTG travel, we’re putting the power in the hands of agencies to offer their clients concierge transfer services with a personalized touch. PTG travel is an indigenous Kenyan owned company that has proven that they have the best expertise in local market transfer services needs and can provide first-class technical support and customer success service”.

“We believe that the best way to promote the recovery of the travel sector is via the PTG travel concierge transfer services. PTG travel is the best in the corporate transfers services, our technology platform and customer support expertise make our partnership a clear win-win,” said Justus Kirigua, Chief Executive Officer, PTG travel.

The KATA certified agents handle over 80% of the passenger number bookings made on Airlines operating in Kenya.  They serve as professional advisors to travelers looking into traveling to key business and leisure destinations globally. Following the resumption of the air services in Kenya, KATA has continued to witness a strong recovery in the domestic travel and regional travel. International travel volumes have been growing week on week as travel restrictions are lifted and as traveler confidence increases.

The Kenya Association of Travel Agents in partnership with Dubai Tourism this week held the second of a series of Dubai Update sessions with her members. The Dubai Update Sessions, features Airlines, Dubai hotels and DMCs. Kenya Airways, Jumeirah Living Marina Gate, Atlantis Palm Dubai, Arabian Oryx Travel and Tourism LLC were in the meeting to engage with the KATA Certified travel agents.
The session was very productive and a great opportunity for the growth of the agent’s business.
Giveaways were also in order to the participants courtesy of Jumeirah Living Marina Gate, Atlantis Palm Dubai, Arabian Oryx Travel and Tourism LLC.

APG East Africa have announced that they will no longer be the GSA for Air Canada in the region (Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania) effective 1^st October 2020.

The GSA contract came to an end and APG East Africa stated that for now Air Canada will not be appointing a General Sales Agent in the East Africa Territory.

” We take this opportunity to thank all travel agents who have been very supportive to APG on all Air Canada matters and request your continued support to Air Canada”, said Mr. Phil Mwakitawa, Managing Director and CEO of Air Promotion Group East Africa.

Ticketing and distribution leader, Hain Air, announced that it has established contracts with six new partner airlines during the past quarter, bringing the total number of new carriers implemented this year to 13. Air Liaison (DU) from Canada, Blue Islands (SI) from the United Kingdom, Corendon Airlines Europe (XR) from Malta, Corendon Airlines (XC) from Turkey, Jet Fly (JFL) from Austria and Tayaran Jet (E8) from Bulgaria can now benefit from an expanded distribution reach and incremental revenue in up to 190 markets.

“Now more than ever, airlines recognise the immense value they can gain from a partnership with Hahn Air,” says Alexander Proschka, Executive Vice President Commercial. “Being the number one expert in indirect distribution, we offer more than 20 years of sales expertise, our unparalleled network of over 350 partner airlines and our reliable and cost-effective solutions which will bring immediate business results. We stand by our airline and travel agency partners to get their businesses back on track.”  

With its ticketing and distribution solutions, the German airline Hahn Air facilitates global business between travel agencies and airlines. Hahn Air partner airlines can choose from different distribution solutions. HR-169 enables airlines that have at least one GDS contract in place to sell tickets in markets where they are not connected to a local settlement system (e.g. BSP, ARC or TCH). H1-Air and X1-Air are the products for airlines wanting to enter the GDS world or looking to expand their ticket sales to additional GDSs and more than 100,000 travel agencies.

Of the new partners, the carriers Air Liaison (DU), Blue Islands (SI), Corendon Airlines Europe (XR), Jet Fly (JFL) and Tayaran Jet (E8) join Hahn Air Technology’s X1-Air network and are now available in Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport under the designator X1. Corendon Airlines (XC) complements the H1-Air network of Hahn Air Systems and can be booked under the code H1 in the following ten major GDSs: Amadeus, Axess, Galileo, Infini, Sabre, Sabre Pacific (formerly Abacus), Sirena, Travelport, Travelsky and Worldspan. 

For more information about Hahn Air, visit www.hahnair.com.

German based carrier Lufthansa has indicated plans to launch direct flights to Mombasa as the airline seeks to strengthen its footprint in East Africa.

The carrier says it will run two flights a week between Frankfurt-Mombasa and Zanzibar on its sister carrier Eurowings beginning March 31 next year.

The launch of the flights is expected to intensify the competition for carriers operating between Europe and East Africa including Kenya Airways.

“East Africa remains an important part of the Lufthansa Group’s Africa network even throughout this unprecedented crisis.

“The new route will provide leisure passengers an exciting travel experience and offers numerous connections at the Frankfurt hub” said Andre Schulz, Lufthansa’s General Manager for Southern and East Africa.

Flights on the new route are targeting holiday makers who frequent destinations at the Kenyan coast and the tropical island of Zanzibar.

Source: https://citizentv.co.ke/business/lufthansa-launches-direct-flights-mombasa-347219/

From the start of the current crisis, UNWTO has led the way in addressing the key factor needed for the successful restart of tourism. This agreement with the global trade association for the airline sector builds on this and deepens the existing collaboration between both organizations to keep geared towards restoring the confidence of travellers.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “Air travel is an essential component of global tourism. This partnership between UNWTO and IATA will see us work closely together to increase confidence in flying and tourism in general. UNWTO will use our expertise in innovation and our status as a connector of public and private sector leaders to help get aviation moving again.”

Closer, more focused collaboration

As well as focusing on building and maintaining confidence in international travel, the new agreement will also see UNWTO and IATA work closely together to foster innovation and promote greater public-private collaboration. As tourism restarts, this MoU will help ensure recovery is sustainable and inclusive.

IATA Director General Alexandre de Juniac says: “The safe opening of international borders to tourism is essential. Tourists want to feel safe, and they want to be confident that their travel plans won’t be affected by last-minute changes to rules and regulations. For this to happen, even greater collaboration between the public and private sectors is needed. This enhanced partnership with the World Tourism Organization will help guide aviation’s recovery over the critical months ahead.”

IATA has been an Affiliate Member of UNWTO since 1978, providing a strong voice for the international air transport sector. IATA is also an active member of the Board of the UNWTO’s Affiliate Members and contributed to the UNWTO Global Guidelines to Restart Tourism, released in May to help guide governments and the private sector in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This collaboration was reflected in the final publication. A set distinct set of recommendations for the air transport sector were included, with a focus on the introduction of enhanced hygiene protocols to guarantee the safety of both passengers and airline workers. The Global Guidelines also emphasized the need for strong partnership and coordination at every level of the airline sector.

UNWTO leads a sector united

This latest partnership comes as UNWTO continues to lead the global tourism sector in its response to the challenges posed by the pandemic. As well as close cooperation with private sector associations and businesses, UNWTO also recently signed an agreement with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), that will see the two UN agencies work together to harness the power of tourism to drive the sustainable social and economic development of rural communities.

Source: https://www.unwto.org/news/unwto-and-iata-sign-agreement-to-restore-confidence-in-international-aviation

The Kenya Association of Travel Agents represented by their CEO, Agnes Mucuha submitted recommendations on behalf of its members in the public participation process in the review of the National Aviation Management Bill at Parliament on Monday 28th October,2020. KATA sought for a standing board position at the Kenya Aviation Corporation being a major stakeholder for the aviation sector in its contributions of over 75% of the passenger number bookings made on Kenya Airways. KATA has extensive technical knowledge in commercial aviation and IATA matters that would be of rich value to the board of the aviation body.

Read more:- https://www.the-star.co.ke/business/kenya/2020-10-02-private-interest-claims-rock-kq-nationalisation-plan