KQ eyes additional flights on Liberia and Vietnam routes

The national carrier’s step indicates intention to pull away from loss-making territory. PHOTO | FILE 

By LYNET IGADWAH

Kenya Airways is seeking to increase the frequency of its flights to Liberia and Vietnam, giving a pointer to the national carrier’s strategy of pulling from loss making.

Transport Secretary James Macharia Thursday submitted to Parliament two Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASA) that if approved will give the national carrier expanded rights to fly to the two countries.

“The signing of the agreement will give impetus to Kenya Airways to increase frequencies and enable it enjoy 5th Freedom Traffic Rights,” Mr Macharia told the National Assembly’s Transport Committee in reference to the agreement with Vietnam.

A “fifth freedom” right allows an airline to fly between two different countries.

The agreement between Kenya and Vietnam was negotiated and initiated in August 2014 in Ha Noi, Vietnam, followed by an MOU between the two states operationalising the agreement.

Kenya and Liberia negotiated and initiated an agreement in August 2005 in Monrovia, Liberia, which was signed in Nairobi on December 11 2015.

BASAs facilitate airlines to expand their existing route networks by directly operating scheduled air services to other markets. In addition, where airlines are unable to offer services, the agreements allow them to enter into commercial contracts called code share that allow airlines to grow the demand in other markets by making arrangements with other carriers.

Kenya Airways, for example, has a code share agreement with KLM that allows it to put its international code KQ on KLM operated flights into Europe and other destinations thereby offering passengers easy connectivity.

In March last year, KQ commenced scheduled flights to Ha Noi, Vietnam.

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It operates three flights per week on the route. The airline is keen on increasing the number of frequencies and entry points to Vietnam, as well as extending its flights with 5th Freedom Traffic Rights to points into China from Vietnam.

While KQ operates scheduled daily flights to Monrovia, there is no Liberian airline operating scheduled flights into Kenya. There is also no Vietnamese airline operating scheduled flights into Kenya.

The BASAs are based on a standard template issued by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and contain standard articles on grant of rights, destination, authorisation and application of national laws among other things.