Saudi Arabian Airlines has entered into a codeshare agreement with Kenya Airways, a move that will strengthen each other's presence in their respective countries. The codesharing arrangement will cover the Nairobi-Jeddah route along which Kenya Airways launched flights in October last year, targeting the growing passenger traffic between Kenya and Saudi Arabia. Most of the traffic is driven by cultural and religious events such as the annual Muslim pilgrimage. The deal, according to Kenya Airways Group Managing Director, Titus Naikuni, is the first step by KQ in establishing a strong long-term relationship with Saudi Arabian Airlines who will formally join the SkyTeam Alliance in May 2012. "The codesharing partnership will complement the two weekly flights by Saudi Arabian Airlines between Jeddah and Nairobi," said Naikuni. Saudi Arabian Airlines flights SV430 from Nairobi to Jeddah and SV431 from Jeddah to Nairobi will be marketed as KQ3600 and KQ3601 and tickets issued bearing those codes. Saudi Arabian Airlines has a fleet of over 139 aircraft flying to more than 90 destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. Besides increased traffic attributable to the annual Haj pilgrimage, stronger bilateral trade links between Kenya and Saudi Arabia has seen more traders travel between the two countries.
