Kenya Airways has today officially announced that they have started direct flights to Mogadishu, Somali.
This marks another milestone following the direct New York flight that was launched two months ago.
The maiden flight is said to have taken off from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport earlier today.
Kenya Airways stated that the move is as a result of increased demand on the route as it stretches its wings in a move expected to boost trade with the Horn of Africa nation.
“The addition of this route to our network demonstrates our commitment to improving connectivity on the African continent, while creating new opportunities for corporates, investors, traders and tourists”, said Kenya Airways CEO Sebastian Mikosz in a statement.
“We want to extend our network reach and make it convenient for our guests who work and invest in Somalia.” he added
The business daily reports indicate that the direct flights to Somalia will help Kenya narrow its widening trade deficit with the war-torn nation which currently stands at Sh99.8 billion.
According to data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, Somalia is one of the largest export markets for Kenya and this will be boosted by the recently launched flight.
Kenya Airways currently flies to 53 destinations worldwide, 43 of which are in Africa the recently introduced flight comes in as a bonus.
Speaking on the progress of the direct New York flights, Sebastian Mikosz said that the frequency from January will be 5 daily flights then when the demand is high we shall resume daily flights.
“At the moment we are flying daily and the planes are not expected to be full in the first 6 months, our target is to achieve 65% bookings” he said
With such targets, there is hope that even the Mogadishu direct will pick up and lead to blooming trade between the two countries,
Today we have introduced a new flight to Mogadishu so you can do business or visit your loved ones with a little more convenience. Book your flight today https://t.co/VkYfxFlBwR #KQNBOMGQ #LetKQTakeYouThere pic.twitter.com/FGWxqIIZnm
— Kenya Airways (@KenyaAirways) December 18, 2018