Kenya Airways, South African Airways Ink Pact to Form Pan-African Airline Group

Kenya Airways (KQ) and South Africa Airways (SAA) have signed a strategic partnership framework as they work towards creating a Pan-African airline group.

The framework will see the two national carriers join forces to increase passenger traffic, cargo opportunities, and general trade by taking advantage of strengths in South Africa, Kenya, and Africa.

“This cooperation aligns with Kenya Airways’ core purpose of contributing to the sustainable development of Africa and is based on mutual benefits. It will increase connectivity through passenger traffic, cargo opportunities, while enhancing the implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA).”

“The geolocation of the two countries will make the Pan-African Airline Group attractive by creating the most formidable Airline Group that is expected to take advantage of strengths in South Africa, Kenya, and Africa,” Kenya Airways Chairman Michael Joseph said.

The partnership framework comes two months after the two airlines sighed a “memorandum of cooperation” under which they agreed to “foster the exchange of knowledge, expertise, innovation, digital technologies, and best practice between the two airlines”.

The partnership is expected to improve the financial viability of the two airlines as they remain committed to their financial turnaround strategies. Both KQ and SAA have faced financial struggles in recent years, compounded by the Covid-19 crisis.

The agreement was inked on the second day of President Kenyatta’s State visit to South Africa this week.