Dutch airline KLM to launch direct flights to Mombasa

Dutch national carrier KLM has announced plans to start direct flights to Mombasa from October this year as it seeks to strengthen its presence in East Africa.

The launch of the flights on October 31 will come in just a month after the termination of its Africa-Europe joint venture partnership with national carrier Kenya Airways on September 1.

KLM will be targeting leisure travelers to the coastal city through the pair of weekly flights from Amsterdam on Thursdays and Sundays which include a loop to Nairobi from Mombasa.

“The rising number of tourists visiting Mombasa, not just from Europe but also the rest of the world, signifies the growing interest in the unique experiences the coastal city has to offer. KLM comes in to offer a superior and memorable flying experience both for first time and regular flyers to East Africa from our hub in Amsterdam. Because of positive developments regarding the pandemic in various regions, we see an increasing demand for direct flights,” said KLM General Manager for East Africa Arthur Dieffenthaler.

The launch of the direct flights is expected to stiffen the competition for the domestic national carrier as frequent customers on the route land more flight options.

The regional aviation scene continues to witness a flood of new entrants especially from European carriers as they contest for a piece of the lucrative sector.

Last week, Germany’s Lufthansa confirmed it would commence tourist flights to Mombasa on its new leisure carrier Eurowings Discover from July.

KQ announced it would be cutting ties with KLM in December last year in a strategy shift.

“This development allows Kenya Airways to offer additional options and convenience to our customers connecting through our European gateways in line with our goal of supporting the recovery of international tourism in Kenya and connecting Africa to the World, and the World to Africa,” said Kenya Airways CEO, Mr Allan Kilavuka.

The national carrier flies to 10 overseas destinations including KLM’s principal hub at Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport.