Kenya’s tourism sector received a shot in the arm following the touchdown of the inaugural Fly Dubai direct flight at the Moi International Airport in Mombasa on Wednesday, January 17.
The Dubai-based low-cost carrier Flydubai is the first national airline with direct flights from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the Kenyan coastal city.
During the event, Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua said the arrival of the flight is the right step towards boosting the crucial sector.
To further grow the tourism sector, Mutua promised to visit all counties in the coming days to assess areas of collaboration with the Governors as the government seeks to tap into other forms of tourism attraction beyond wildlife and beaches.
On his part, Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen noted that airline will be making four weekly trips to Mombasa on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
“The launch of this route is monumental for Kenya’s aviation sector and the people of the Coast region since it will increase tourist arrivals to Mombasa from across flydubai networks leading to the growth of the hospitality and tourism sector, creation of jobs directly and indirectly, and the revitalization of the economies of the City of Mombasa and the region at large'” said Murkomen.
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He further stated that his ministry would continue to capitalize on the visa-free policy initiated by President William Ruto to encourage more partnerships with key players in the aviation sector and engage in mutually beneficial discussions that would result in increased tourist arrivals, job creation and overall growth of the country’s economy.
Fly Dubai Airline Boosting Kenya’s Tourism
The airline announced its plans to expand its networks on the continent on August 31, 2023.
“We look forward to the start of our four-times-weekly service to Mombasa and to increasing the frequency to the market in the future,” Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Sudhir Sreedharan said.
The airline’s CEO, Ghaith Al Ghaith said: “We remain committed to opening up underserved markets and supporting Dubai’s aviation hub.
Our direct flights to Mombasa from January and our growing operations in Africa will further support free flows of trade and tourism between the UAE and the East African markets.”
The launch of the direct flight to Mombasa moves the carrier’s destinations in Africa to 11 in 10 regions.
These include Addis Ababa, Alexandria, Asmara, Dar es Salaam, Djibouti, Entebbe, Hargeisa, Juba, Mogadishu and Zanzibar.
Also, the airline said it was banking on the potential in the African markets to grow its presence in the continent with more fleets in the coming years.
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Flight details
According to Flydubai online booking, fares from Dubai to Mombasa start from 1289 United Arab Emirates Dirhams (Ksh56,491).
The flights would operate from Terminal 3, Dubai International (DXB) making four weekly trips on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
