Emirates Airline and Kenya Airways signed an interline agreement giving the carriers’ passengers access to extensive lists of destinations beyond Dubai and Nairobi, Kenya.

Emirates passengers will gain single-itinerary access to 28 destinations to which Kenya Airways operates from Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO). Travelers on Kenya Airways will gain access to 23 destinations beyond Dubai International Airport (DXB) via Emirates.

African destinations beyond NBO to which Emirates passengers will be able to connect via Kenya Airways include Bujumbara, Kigali, Kinshasa, Kilimanjaro, Lubumbashi, Juba and Zanzibar, among other points.

Bangkok, Jakarta, Hong Kong, Seoul and Singapore are among the Emirates destinations listed as part of the interline accord. 

Also included in the deal are Kenya Airways’ recently launched flights between Mombasa Moi International Airport and Dubai. The service is offered 4X-weekly. 

SkyTeam member Kenya Airways operates the NBO-DXB route 10X-weekly using a mix of Boeing 737-800 and 787 aircraft. Emirates flies between Dubai and Nairobi 14X-weekly. 

This is the first cooperation pact between the two carriers. 

“Kenya is a strategic gateway in our Africa network, and this new interline agreement will enhance connectivity for Emirates’ customers and provide them with more travel choices across the continent,” Emirates CCO Adnan Kazim says in a statement.

“We look forward to deepening our relationship with Kenya Airways, offering greater network opportunities and improving connections for ... our customers,” Kazim adds.

Kenya Airways CCO Julius Thairu says: “This partnership will provide the ideal gateway for our customers as we seek to increase our connectivity between Africa and the Middle East through Emirates’ hub in Dubai. Partnerships like these are key in aviation as they take advantage of mutual scale and efficiencies to provide customers with more seamless travel options.”

Kenya Airways operates to 42 destinations, 35 of which are in Africa.