Kenya Airways upbeat on Asian routes
Kenya Airways staff who will work on all of the airline’s Asian routes.
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Kenya Airways sees strong business potential flying between Africa and Asia, including Thailand, since Asians have upped their investments significantly in the African country.
Nipon Suddhidhanakool, regional sales manager of Kenya Airways, said yesterday that investors from Asia, especially China and South Korea, had made substantial investments in various industries, particularly those related to natural resources and minerals. Thais have also made investment in Kenya's gemstones industry during the last few years. Others have opened Thai restaurants. The government discovered Kenya's business opportunities last year when Prime Minister Thaksin Shinnawatra visited the country. Thanks to Asian investments, many new business networks have been created in Kenya. The airline therefore hopes to exploit the networks to attract new travellers. This year, the airline expects to shuttle 3,000 Thais - both tourists and business people. Kenya Airways opened its route to Thailand three years ago and 60 per cent of its passengers are business travellers. Nipon said the airline's revenues from its Thai route grew about 70 cent in its second year, but fell 32 per cent last year after three Middle East airlines - Qatar Airways, UAE Airlines and Gulf Air - also started flying to Thailand. Competition on the African route will likely heat up when other Asian airlines, including - Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Thai Airways International - join the fray. Competition, however, is not that fierce in Thailand because few airlines fly direct between Africa and Bangkok. The airline has set aside Bt5 million for marketing here. The budget includes holding seminars to educate Thais about destinations like jungles that are home to a variety of wildlife, the climate, the cultures and the character of the people in Kenya, which Nipon said was similar to that of Thais. The airline operates three flights per week on its Nairobi-Bangkok-Hong Kong route and three flights per week between Nairobi and Guangzhou. This year, it plans to start a Nairobi-Bangkok route, add two more flights per week on its Nairobi-Bangkok-Hong Kong and two more on its Nairobi-Guangzhou route. In addition, the airline will start flying to London, Amsterdam, Paris, Asmara in Eritrea, and Freetown in Sierra Leone. Kenya Airways has 21 aircraft in its fleet. Its average load factor is 70 per cent. Nitida AsawanipontThe Nation
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