Kenya Airways launches Blantyre flights today

Offering more connectivity to Malawi’s commercial city to the rest of the world, Kenya Airways (KQ) will today (Friday) launch direct flights to Blantyre from Nairobi, said the airline.

In a press statement, issued on Wednesday, Kenya Airways said the airline will ply three times a week—Mondays, Wednesday and Friday—connecting Chileka Airport, Blantyre to the rest of the world, through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.

The launch comes after Ethiopian Airlines launched its Blantyre flights in March this year, flying three times a week—on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.

Kenya Airways’ chief operating officer, Titus Naikuni said that the direct flights will provide a connection for Blantyre to key markets such as Europe, Far East and Middle East, which will translate into huge economic benefits to Malawi.

“Connectivity with other parts of the world is a key enabler for economic development. This direct link between Blantyre and Nairobi will help spur sustainable development, which is one area that we aim to make a contribution to as an airline,” Naikuni said.

Kenya Airways said the airline will fly non-stop between the two cities. It will depart from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi at 1145 hours and will arrive in Blantyre at 1325 hours on each of the three days.

KQ added that the return flight will leave Blantyre at 1415 hours on the same day and arrive back in Nairobi at 1800 hours.

The airline said an Embraer E190 jet will fly the route offering excellent cabin experience with an in-flight on demand video entertainment for each passenger on both business and economy classes.

In April, Malawi Government granted approval for Kenya Airways to operate flights into Blantyre, besides agreeing to resumption of the 5th Freedom Traffic Rights which allows Kenya Airways to pick up passengers in Lusaka and drop them in Lilongwe and vice versa on the Lilongwe-Lusaka sector.

Kenya Airways already has flights to Lilongwe’s Kamuzu International Airport.

KQ is one of Africa’s leading airlines with a focus on Africa’s development by connecting with the rest of the world.

Kenya Airways has partnership agreements with other airlines, ranging from full-scale alliances, through individual partnerships to Codeshare Agreements. The airline is also a SkyTeam alliance member and has also entered into partnerships with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Precision Air.

Kenya Airways has the third largest fleet in sub-Saharan Africa by both passenger aircraft count and total aircraft count. The airline currently operates 42 aircraft including four Boeing 777 wide body jets, six Boeing 767 wide body jets, 15 Boeing 737 narrow body jets and five Embraer 170.