Kenya Airways urges consolidation of African airlines to cut intra-continental travel costs, BA

Nairobi, Kenya Airways, the country’s flag carrier, stated that the consolidation of airlines on the continent will help reduce the cost of intra-African air travel.

Allan Kilavuka, CEO of Kenya Airways, mentioned in Nairobi that travel within Africa costs more than double for similar distances in other regions like the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

“Africa has many small national airlines which are competing in fragmented markets, resulting in high air ticket costs,” Kilavuka said during a session of Aviation 101 Media Lab.

Kilavuka highlighted the importance of commercial airlines having a fleet of at least 50 aircraft to be profitable, which is a challenge for many African national airlines. He suggested that merging national airlines could create regional aviation hubs, avoid duplication of operational costs, and benefit air travelers with cost savings.