KENYA AIRWAYS TAKES THE FIGHT FOR MARKET SHARE INTO NAIROBI’S TRADE DISTRICT
(Posted 10th January 2015)
A number of new and larger aircraft, which were delivered to Kenya Airways last year, allowed for more direct flights and added frequencies to key destinations, which are frequented by Kenyan traders in search for bargains.
Several airlines flying to Nairobi are competing with each other to get the business of tickets and aircargo, among them closest rival Ethiopian Airlines, which now flies four times a day from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, regularly using their B787 Dreamliner. Others are the main Gulf carriers Emirates and Qatar Airways, both flying twice a day to Nairobi, and Etihad which flies once a day.
Kenya Airways though decided that taking the battle for market share to the market itself and yesterday opened a new sales office in the ‘Tea Room’, which is located along Accra Road in one of Nairobi’s key trading areas.
At hand to open the new sales, reservations and ticketing office was Kenya Airways’ Group CEO Mbuvi Ngunze who on the occasion said: ‘Tea Room is a prime, accessible location and a central point for a large number of small-scale entrepreneurs. This shop will offer opportunities for direct interaction and enable provision of tailored services to this market segment. The expansion of our sales shop network is a major component of our ongoing initiatives to grow our revenue
The new location clearly targets frequently travelling traders from such key trade districts across the capital like Kamukunji and Ngara which ae known for the trade in household items, stationery, car accessories and mobile phones sourced from the Middle East, Asia and Far East.
Special offers put on the market by Kenya Airways like a 50 KG baggage allowance in economy and the largest number of direct flights out of Nairobi to such destinations like Dubai, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Guangzhou – Shanghai will be added later in 2015 – give Kenya’s national airline an advantage over foreign carriers but which needed backing up by added marketing and sales efforts among the main travelling communities.
It could not be established of the new sales office will also sell tickets for Kenya Airways’ low cost subsidiary Jambojet, which presently flies from Nairobi to Mombasa, Eldoret and Kisumu. The airline was only last week granted additional route rights to such places like Entebbe, Juba, Kigali and Bujumbura, besides several destinations in Tanzania, but is yet to make a move or an announcement when such flights may in fact be launched.
For more information about schedules, destinations, fares, the ‘Flying Blue’ frequent flyer programme and of course for online check-in, click on www.kenya-airways.com
