… move aimed to meet marked increase in travel to Southern Sudan

24th June 2011 … National flag carrier and Pride of Africa, Kenya Airways has doubled the number of flights to the Southern Sudanese city of Juba effective 1st July, 2011.

In a move aimed at meeting the rising demand for travel to the region by individuals and organizations, the airline will now fly twice daily to Juba from Nairobi.

This move comes exactly one year after Kenya Airways commenced flights to Juba. Since then, there has been a marked increase in travel by both individuals and corporate as well as developmental organizations seeking to do business in the region. 

The growth also comes a week before Southern Sudan officially becomes an independent state, on July 9, 2011, following the January referendum in which the country seceded from the greater Sudan.

Kenya Airways Chief Executive Officer Dr. Titus Naikuni said that the additional capacity was expected to take care of the surge in traffic and to give the airline an edge in attracting travelers to the Southern Sudan region.

“We are very encouraged and excited about the uptake of our services to Juba since we started flying there mid last year. Transport is a key element in the enhancement of trade and we believe that regular flights to the region will go a long way in enhancing trade between Kenya and Sudan.”

Dr. Naikuni noted further that “Kenya Airways seeks to be the leading carrier on the continent, interlinking African cities and, through the Nairobi hub, connecting Africa to the world.”

He added that the airline was well on course with the planned African route expansion program, with flights to the West African city of Ouagadougou commencing on 19th June.

Naikuni noted that other routes that Kenya Airways was looking at opening in the next few months included Jeddah in the Saudi Arabia, Abuja and Port Louis in Mauritius. “We will provide further details about the respective services once we complete the preparations,” he explained.

He pointed out that Kenya Airways was keen to meet its new route opening targets before the end of the year.