KENYA AIRWAYS SET TO BENEFIT FROM NEW BILATERAL AIR SERVICE AGREEMENT WITH VIETNAM
(Posted 04th August 2016)
Kenya Airways presently is the only African airline flying directly to Vietnam, after launching flights 13 months ago to Hanoi.
From there does SkyTeam partner Vietnam Airlines then provide onward flights to a number of destinations across the Far East.
It is understood that the Kenyan parliament has now ratified a new BASA, short for bilateral air services agreement, which will allow the Kenyan flag carrier to operate flights beyond Hanoi into China.
Fifth freedom flights regularly improve the financial viability of such flights, as an airline can pick up additional passenger and often even cargo at a waypoint before then flying on to the final destination and vice versa on the return flight.
Kenya Airways currently serves Hong Kong and Guangzhou with its own flights while other destinations in China can be reached as part of a code share deal with SkyTeam partner airline China Southern.
After the legal process is now complete will it be up to Kenya Airways to decide if a fifth freedom operation via Hanoi into China will be beneficial to them and a decision towards that end is expected in the not too distant future.
