KQ signs deal with Egyptian national carrier to ease Nairobi-Cairo flights

You can now easily travel to and from Egypt without undergoing through much logistical nightmare.

This is Because Kenya’s national carrier Kenya Airways has signed a codeshare agreement with EgyptAir that will make it easier for passengers to connect between Nairobi and Cairo.

The two airlines on Monday said the agreement will allow EgyptAir to use the Kenya Airways code (KQ) for its four flights between Cairo and Nairobi.

“This will allow the national carrier, Kenya Airways, to resume direct market access between Nairobi and Cairo since August 2013 when its own operations were suspended,” A statement from KQ said.

EgyptAir passengers will be able to use KQ to connect passengers to other destinations in the region including Mombasa, Dar es Salaam, Lusaka and Harare.

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EgyptAir said this code-sharing deal could serve as the basis for future “commercial operational opportunities”.

Kenya Airways is banking on new routes, additional frequencies and better ticket pricing to fly out of its turbulence past characterized by continuous losses and sharp decline.

Early this year, Kenya and Egypt agreed to increase bilateral trade to cement their historic ties that date back to the pre-colonial days.

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Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta and his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah El Sis while on a visit to Nairobi sign a number of trade agreements to boost further cooperation between the two countries.

The code-share agreement is expected to boost trade and tourism between the two countries.

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According to Egyptian ministry of Foreign affairs, the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries in 2008 was around 378.3 million dollars, as trade data indicates that Egyptian exports to Kenya amounted to 156.2 million dollars while imports from Kenya amounted to 222.1 million dollars, with $ 65.9 million of surplus in favor of Kenya.