Kenya Airways launched direct flights to Hanoi from its hub at Jomo
Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on March 31, making it the
first African airline to connect to Vietnam.
The carrier will fly the Boeing 787-800 three times per week to Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi.
Kenya
Airways’s CEO Mbuvi Ngunze said the introduction of the flight was in
line with the airline’s strategy to connect Africa with Asia.
“Vietnam
has shown considerable and stable economic growth in recent years, and
there has been increased trade between the East Asian country and
African markets. Our direct flight to Hanoi will offer easy connectivity
to business and leisure travellers and will open up trade opportunities
between the two fast-growing regions,” he said.
He noted that
this first direct flight connecting Vietnam and Africa will leverage the
ties between Africa, Vietnam and the larger Asian market, which are
mainly driven by trade-labour relations and tourism.-VNA