Emirates and Kenya Airways announced an interline partnership yesterday (June 12), which allows customers of both airlines access to new destinations on the two airlines’ networks within a single itinerary.

The agreement will provide customers with increased travel options and seamless baggage check-in to their final destination.

Emirates customers will now be able to fly to 28 destinations on the Kenya Airways network using Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi as the gateway to destinations such as Nampula, Bangui, Bujumbura, Kigali, Dzaoudzi, Lubumbashi, Kinshasa, Kilimanjaro, Juba, Zanzibar, among many other regional points across Africa.

Additionally, as part of a bilateral interline arrangement, Emirates passengers travelling via Dubai can also book a single ticket itinerary from or to Mombasa.

Similarly, Kenya Airways passengers travelling from Nairobi and Mombasa will now be able to access Emirates’ network and seamlessly connect through Dubai to 23 destinations across West and South Asia, the Far East, the Indian Ocean and Middle East such as Singapore, Tokyo, Bangkok, Ahmedabad, Beirut, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Seoul among others.

Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates said: “We are pleased to ink our first partnership with Kenya’s flag carrier. Kenya is a strategic gateway in our Africa network, and this new interline agreement will enhance connectivity for Emirates’ customers and provide them more travel choices across the continent. We look forward to deepening our relationship with Kenya Airways, offering greater network opportunities and improving connections for both of our customers.”

Julius Thairu, Chief Commercial and Customer Officer of Kenya Airways added: “Partnerships like these are key in aviation as they take advantage of mutual scale and efficiencies to provide customers with more seamless travel options.”

Emirates began operations to Kenya with the launch of flights between Nairobi and Dubai in 1995. Since then it has steadily grown the route to 14 weekly flights and flown over five million passengers through the years.

Emirates is the only airline serving Kenya with private, enclosed first-class cabins.

Kenya Airways recently launched direct flights between Moi International Airport in Mombasa and Dubai, offering customers four weekly flights. The airline also operates ten weekly flights to Dubai from Nairobi, using a mix of Boeing 737-800 and Dreamliner B787-800 aircraft.