Kenya Airways and South Africa airlines are in consultation to form a Pan-African airline to rival established players such as the Ethiopian Airlines and Emirates.
President William Ruto and his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa said they were engaging on the matter at a high level that, if successful, will see Kenya Airways and South African Airways form a partnership.
Last year, former President Uhuru Kenyatta and Ramaphosa planned to combine the two airlines’ assets to form an African airline.
“On the matter of South Africa Airways and Kenya Airways, this was a subject of discussion between me and President Ramaphosa and our teams, and we have agreed that that agreement should be progressed forwards it present an opportunity for both South Africa and Kenya to work together to build a Pan-African airline,” President Ruto said at State Gouse Nairobi during a bilateral meeting with the South African Government.
Like KQ, SA Airways has been under financial headwinds exacerbated by flight bans and the closure of skies that saw airlines around the globe grounded due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are committed to ensuring that the agreement that was signed between our two airlines goes forward, and at the technical level, there is a lot of work going on, and we look forward to making sure that the agreement that was signed eventually brings about a Pan-African airline,” President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Read also; Kenya Airways Signs a Codeshare Agreement with SA Airlines to Widen Connections.
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