Kenya Airways has announced a new international route following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Qatar Airways.

In a statement on Tuesday, July 1, the national carrier announced that Qatar Airways will introduce a third daily flight between Doha and Nairobi, operated in codeshare with Kenya Airways. 

At the same time, a new route between Mombasa and Doha will be launched during the upcoming winter season, operated by Kenya Airways and marketed by Qatar Airways.

In the MoU signed in Doha by Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer and Kenya Airways Group Managing Director and CEO Allan Kilavuka, the two airlines have also committed to expanding their cooperation across their respective networks to offer passengers a broader range of travel options.

“This partnership is yet another demonstration of our deepening ties with the African region. Today’s agreement, which comes as we celebrate 20 years of flying to Kenya, is coupled with our recognisable record of partnerships across the continent, most recently through our investment in Airlink. 

"Our growing collaboration with our African counterparts ensures that Qatar Airways continues to contribute to the continent’s rapidly evolving aviation and economic ecosystem," Al-Meer said.

On his part, Kilavuka noted that the partnership aligns with the airline’s broader recovery and expansion strategy.

“This partnership perfectly aligns with our airline’s robust turnaround strategy, which saw Kenya Airways’ return to profit for the first time in more than a decade earlier this year.

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"The collaboration will also help expedite Kenya Airways’ efforts to boost tourism and air cargo activities, turning these and others into pivotal economic growth propellers for Kenya and the East Africa region," he stated.

Beyond passenger services, the two airlines plan to explore joint efforts in cargo operations, ground handling, airport services, maintenance, procurement, and loyalty programmes.