South Africa Airways resumes Nairobi flights under KQ partnership

South Africa Airways (SAA) has resumed flights to Nairobi after a two-year hiatus occasioned primarily by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The carrier resumes operations between Nairobi and its home country on the back of a new codeshare partnership signed off with national carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) in July.

The partnership is expected to see the pair collaborate on air ticket sales and flights while offering additional connectivity to their respective customers.

Passengers on SAA will for instance have more choices to travel to African destinations including Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Entebbe, Mombasa and Kisumu.

In the inverse, KQ passengers will have more choice to travel to Southern Africa including Cape Town, Durban and Harare.

Growth in the partnership is expected to see the addition of Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro, Juba, Douala and Lusaka subject to regulatory approvals.

In November last year, KQ and SAA signed a Strategic Partnership Framework which will see the two carriers collaborate to increase passenger traffic, cargo opportunities and general trade.

KQ and SAA envision creating a pan-African aviation group in 2023.