Renson Mwakandana
In an effort to broaden their reach the South African Airways (SAA) has signed a codeshare agreement with Kenya Airways (KQ) on flights to and from their home countries in a move to increase their reach.
Each airline will sell flights operated by the other under its code as part of the agreement, which went into effect right away. Passengers will be able to combine their trip segments and luggage on a single ticket.
The agreement will also increase the alternatives for travelers leaving South Africa to travel to African locations including Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Entebbe, Mombasa, and Kisumu.
On the other side, KQ travelers will have additional options for getting to South Africa, including Cape Town, Durban, and Harare right away. Subject to governmental clearance, the cooperation will expand to include Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro, Juba, Douala, Lusaka, Ghana, and Nigeria as the two airlines strive to provide additional alternatives for travelers inside Africa.
According to Kenya Airways CEO and Group Managing Director Allan Kilavuka, “We are very pleased to implement the codeshare with SAA, which offers our shared customers more options and flight combinations.”
“We are looking forward to introducing Kenya Airways customers to our award-winning service, and to working closely with Kenya Airways as our partnership will improve the connections between our respective networks,” remarked Prof. John Lamola, interim CEO of South African Airways.
While the South African airline is a part of Star Alliance, the largest of the three major aviation clubs with a membership of 28 airlines, KQ is a member of Sky Team, the second-largest airline network.
In South Africa in November, the two carriers agreed on a framework for a strategic alliance that will eventually lead to the formation of a Pan-African carrier. The two carriers have long-standing financial issues that have been made worse by the Covid-19 epidemic, among other issues.
The alliance is projected to increase the two airlines’ financial sustainability, which is currently having trouble surviving.
