subject: Kenya Airways Launches Flights to Juba, South Sudan [print this page] Kenya Airways Launches Flights to Juba, South Sudan
Kenya Airways (KQ), Kenya's premier airline, has just launched flights to Juba, South Sudan on 7th June 2010. The airline will operate direct flights on the 72-seater Embraer jet daily from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 1140hrs, departing from Juba International Airport at 1420hrs.
KQ will offer its seamless connection to anticipated passengers travelling from Juba to Europe and Far East as well as to the other 39 destinations across Africa. The launch of the daily flights linking Nairobi to Juba is seen as being instrumental in ferrying passengers to the city that is already considered one of the fastest growing in the world as traders and investors flock to take advantage of the existing opportunities.
The launch would would complement other ongoing plans by Southern Sudan to construct an oil pipeline from Lamu to Juba and a railway line connecting to Uganda which would help stimulate growth in the East African region. Since the opening of a Consulate in Juba in February 2006, there has been an increase in the number of individuals and organisations that have settled in the regional capital and other regions to do business.
Kenya Airways already flies to over 30 African destinations, some of which enabled it to regain its profitability in 2009 (about Kshs. 2.67 billion). In its financial results released last week, passenger traffic in Southern Africa grew by seven percent driven largely by the launch of operations to Maputo, Ndola and Gaborone. Increased frequencies in Johannesburg, Lusaka and Harare were also instrumental in growing the traffic.
KQ joins other airlines that are already operating on the Juba route, a move which is expected to intensify competition. This also means that it now joins other local firms such as UAP, Equity and Kenya Commercial Bank Group that have invested in South Sudan.
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