Kenya Airways starts Mother City connection

Tourists have Victoria Falls option

A NEW air route linking Cape Town and Nairobi will boost business ties between the Western Cape and Kenya, according to Wesgro, the province’s trade and investment promotion agency.

Kenya Airways launched the route yesterday. It will be operated by an Embraer E190, with 12 business class seats and 84 economy seats.

The route includes a stopover in the tourist centre of Livingstone, Zambia, near the world-famous Victoria Falls.

Wesgro chief executive Tim Harris said Kenya was the eighth largest buyer of Western Cape products.

“By improving access, Kenya could become an even more important client,” he said

A number of Western Cape businesses have invested in the east African country, including Woolworths, Distell, Sanlam, Naspers and Old Mutual.

Harris said the route would also be popular with holidaymakers.

“The route links three of Africa’s top tourist attractions – Cape Town, the Vic Falls and east African safaris, so we expect a large percentage of the passengers to be tourists,” he said.

Cape Town is the second South African city to which Kenya Airlines now flies; the carrier also flies three times a day from Nairobi to Johannesburg. The Nairobi-LivingstoneCape Town flight will operate three times a week, on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Passengers will depart Nairobi at 7.20am, arriving in Livingstone at 9.30am, before departing at 10.20am for Cape Town.

The return flight departs Cape Town at 1.25 pm for Livingstone, continuing on to Nairobi at 5.10pm.

Kenya Airways group managing director and chief executive Mbuvi Ngunze described the Mother City as a “destination of choice for tourism and commerce”.

“We believe this service will serve to provide convenient and reliable connectivity that is critical for investment opportunities.”

Cape Town International Airport general manager Deon Cloete said the route was a “vote of confidence” for the Western Cape.

“It’s wonderful to now be able to offer passengers a con- nection to Nairobi,” he said.

“We are increasingly seeing Cape Town grow as a destination, which is a win-win for us all.”

Cape Town International this week won the Routes Africa edition of the Routes 2016 Marketing Awards, an international award voted on by airlines which recognises excellence in airport and destination marketing.

In a statement, Routes Africa said the airport had shown strong growth recently, including new routes to Maun in Botswana, to Nairobi, as well as British Airways and Thomas Cook Airlines to London Gatwick, and a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt.

The airport had also increased the frequency if its flights operated by Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines and KLM.

Cape Town International Airport is now in the running for the World Routes Awards, which take place in China in September.

It is up against the winners of the other regional awards, which include Amsterdam’s Schiphol, and Auckland Airport in New Zealand.

jan.cronje@inl.co.za