From April 1, the airline introduced an additional evening flight and another morning one every day. This will bring to 34 the number of times that Kenya Airways flies to Kisumu every week, up from the 25 times it did previously.
Of the newly introduced flights, KQ670 is the last one from Nairobi, leaving Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 1830 Hours with the return flight, KQ671, leaving Kisumu International Airport in Kisumu for Nairobi at 0715 Hours.
Kenya Airways Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Titus Naikuni said that by increasing the frequency to Kisumu, the airline is keen on meeting the needs of the emerging middle class in the country while also contributing towards sustainable development in various parts of the country.
“As Kenya enters the era of a devolved system of government there is an increased need for robust transport network linking up different parts of the country,” Naikuni added.
The increased frequency to Kisumu comes as Kenya Airways bolsters its fleet with the acquisition of 10 Embraer E190 aircrafts as part of its 10-year strategic growth plan.
Already, seven of these E-jets, which are expected to serve domestic and short regional routes, have been received by the airline. The rest are expected between May and November this year.
The surging demand on the Kisumu route has been triggered partly by the Kisumu International Airport that was recently expanded and upgraded to international status.
The increased flights are expected to boost the economy of the region while also supporting the flow of tourist traffic into the Western Kenya.
Besides Kisumu, the national carrier also operates three other routes domestically namely; Mombasa, Malindi and Eldoret. In October, the airline introduced daily flights to Eldoret.