Kenya Airways has commenced flights from Lusaka to the Middle Eastern city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia
According to Kenya Airways country manager, Rose Kiseli, the service marks the airline’s 56th global destination and the third in the Middle East. The airline is operating the route twice a week every Tuesday and Saturday on a Boeing 737-800.
“We are very excited about this new destination, more so that it is the first destination we are announcing since we moved our Lusaka offices from COMESA Centre to Maanu House,” said Kiseli in a recent statement. “It signifies our growth and expansion plans. The new service highlights our ambitious growth plans to expand the network not only across Africa but beyond the borders of the continent as well.”
In Zambia, Kenya Airways operates the highest northbound flights from Zambia via Nairobi connecting to over 3,500 cities worldwide. Jeddah is the economic and tourist capital of Saudi Arabia with an estimated population of about 3.4mn people and is the second largest city after the capital, Riyadh.
“Jeddah is an important destination for the airline because of its economic importance as a trading partner for several African and European countries as well as being the gateway to the holy city of Mecca,” said Kenya Airways group managing director and chief executive officer, Titus Naikuni.
Nawa Mutumweno
