Sunday, February 16, 2025
=

Kenya Airways and Air India Launch Codeshare Flights Connecting 15 Indian Cities & 28 African Countries

Kenya Airways and Air India have launched a new codeshare partnership designed to enhance seamless travel between India and Africa.

This codeshare agreement complements the existing interline partnership between the two carriers.

Together, the codeshare and interline agreements provide passengers with convenient access to a broader range of destinations across both regions.

Travelers can enjoy the benefits of a single ticket and a unified baggage policy, ensuring a hassle-free and efficient travel experience.

As part of the codeshare agreement, Air India will place its ‘AI’ designator code on two daily flights between Nairobi and Mumbai operated by Kenya Airways, which will seamlessly connect passengers via Mumbai on Air India-operated flights to or from Bangkok (Thailand), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Malé (The Maldives), Melbourne (Australia), and Singapore.

Indian Leaders Fire Back at Raila Over JKIA - Adani Deal
A past Kenya Airways plane at JKIA. PHOTO/screengrab

These are in addition to existing connections that passengers from Nairobi can take to several other destinations within and outside of India via Delhi, when flying Nairobi to Delhi with Air India.

Kenya Airways to Place ‘KQ’ Designator Code on Air India-Operated Flights

The new agreement also enables Kenya Airways to place its ‘KQ’ designator code on Air India-operated flights between Delhi and Nairobi, thus enabling Kenya Airways passengers from across Africa to travel to Delhi via Nairobi.


Also Read: Kenya Airways Faces Hefty Fines as Probe Kicks Off After Uproar


Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer of Air India, highlighted that the deepened alliance with Kenya Airways aligns perfectly with Air India’s strategic vision of expanding its global footprint and strengthening position in key markets.

“Our codeshare partnership will provide significant benefit to guests of both airlines and also contribute to the overall growth of air travel between India and Africa,” Nippun said.

On his part, the Chief Commercial and Customer Officer, Kenya Airways, Julius Thairu said KQ was delighted to expand partnership with Air India, that will open up significant opportunity for passengers.

“This codeshare agreement allows us to offer seamless connections to a wider range of destinations across both airlines’ networks, making travel easier and more convenient,” said Thairu.


Also Read: Kenya Airways Wins Two Prestigious Awards


About Codeshare and How it Will Work

The interline agreement between Air India and Kenya Airways will enable passengers to seamlessly travel on a single itinerary between any of 28 points in Africa and15 points in India.

Africa destinations include Accra, Addis Ababa, Dar Es Salaam, Harare, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Victoria Falls, Seychelles, Kilimanjaro, Mombasa, and Zanzibar.

Meanwhile, some of the 15 points in India are Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, and Hyderabad.

Additionally, Air India and Kenya Airways plan to progressively add other destinations in their networks to the codeshare agreement.

The codeshare flights are available for booking through Air India’s and Kenya Airways’ respective booking channels and through travel agents. 

Generally, a codeshare partnership allows an airline to book its passengers on its partner carrier and there will be a single ticket.

Under an interline arrangement, an airline issues and accepts tickets for flights operated by the partner carrier and the passenger will have a single itinerary but different tickets.

Here’s what it offers:

  1. Single Ticket Convenience – You can book a journey involving both airlines on one ticket instead of separate bookings.
  2. Same-Terminal Connections – Easier and faster transfers at connecting airports, reducing hassle.
  3. Through-Checked Baggage – Your baggage will be tagged to your final destination, so you don’t need to recheck it during layovers.
  4. Shorter Layovers – Coordinated flight schedules help reduce waiting time between flights.
  5. Expanded Network – You can travel to 28 destinations in Africa and 15 in India more easily, with better flight options.

Follow our WhatsApp Channel and join our WhatsApp Group for real-time news updates.

The Kenya Airways managing director and CEO Allan Kilavuka. Photo/Kenya Airways.
The Kenya Airways managing director and CEO Allan Kilavuka. Photo/Kenya Airways.

Get real time update about this post categories directly on your device, subscribe now.

Annah Nanjala Wekesa

Annah Nanjala Wekesa is a journalist at The Kenya Times, with a passion for crafting news-worthy stories that leave a lasting impact. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Media from Kisii University. She has honed her skills in the art of storytelling and journalism. Her passion lies in the art of storytelling that resonates with audiences, driving a commitment to delivering news-worthy stories through the lens of integrity and precision. She can be reached at annah.wekesa@thekenyatimes.com

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *