Kenya Airways boosts South East Asian footprint with new code share deal

Kenya Airways has entered into a code share agreement with Vietnam Airlines as it works towards expanding its footprint in the South East Asian market.

The agreement is expected to provide a framework for partnership between Kenya Airways and Vietnam Airlines that will see them market and sell one another’s flights as if they were their own.

The two airlines, which are both members of the Sky Team alliance, have signed an agreement and are currently activating a reciprocal code share agreement.

Under the agreement with Vietnam Airlines, Kenya Airways passengers will be able to travel via Bangkok on to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam and vice versa daily. While Vietnam Airlines will code share on daily Kenya Airways service between Bangkok and Nairobi.


Kenya Airways Group Managing Director and CEO Dr. Titus Naikuni said the partnership would enable its customers to access more destinations in the Asia, while also giving an opportunity to Vietnamese passengers to access the 47 destinations flown by KQ in Africa.

A Kenya Airways Boeing 777-200ER lands at Hong Kong International Airport in 2012.

The agreements with the two airlines follow a similar deal signed earlier this year with Saudia Airlines and Korean Air. This brings to 17 code share agreements that Kenya Airways has signed with other international carriers so far.

Besides giving passengers a wider choice of options for travel, the code share agreements also provide an opportunity for the airline to expand its global operations without necessarily flying its equipment to all the destinations.


Kenya Airways, a member of the SkyTeam Alliance, is a leading African airline flying to 59 destinations worldwide, 47 of which are in Africa and carries over three million passengers annually. In Asia, Kenya Airways flies to India, Thailand, China and Hong Kong.