Korean Air Confirms Nairobi Route Launch

Korean Air has revealed it will become the first carrier to offer direct flights from Northeast Asia to the Kenyan capital Nairobi after confirming it will launch its new link between Seoul Incheon and Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International, the largest airport in Kenya and a major gateway into the wider East African market.

The South Korean carrier has recently operated a couple of charter services between the two destinations but will introduce a three times weekly scheduled flight from June 21, 2012. This will be flown using an Airbus A330-200 offering seating for 226 passengers.

“The launch of Korean Air’s nonstop service between Seoul Incheon and Nairobi is not only an exciting addition to the airline’s global network, but also serves as a catalyst in facilitating travel between Northeast Asia and Africa. With only 13 hours of flying time, it will offer passengers the ultimate convenience in travelling between the two cities,” said Jaeho Kim, Managing VP for Europe, Middle East & Africa, Korean Air. “The launch of this new route also means that both business and leisure travelers will be able to enjoy utmost comfort and ease during the journey travelling with Korean Air.”

Kenya is a notable transit point for East Africa where hundreds of renowned international companies and organisations are based, including 120 foreign embassies, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Office and UN-Habitat. Alongside the point-to-point traffic, Korean Air expects to secure a large amount of transfer passengers which will be able to connect on to other destinations from Nairobi through the expanding network of Kenya Airways.

In the past year around 10,000 O&D passengers travelled between Seoul Incheon and Nairobi despite the lack of direct services. Emirates Airline had the greatest share of this traffic via Dubai, although Qatar Airways also carried a notable share via Doha. Around 17 per cent used flights of Korean Air, connecting with other operators in Bangkok, Dubai or Hong Kong. The potential demand for the new route more than doubles when you consider the traffic demand in the wider South Korea – East Africa market. According to the statistics the largest flows into Africa beyond Nairobi are to/from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Entebbe, Uganda.