Kenya Airways : Cargo and Astral Aviation sign codeshare agreement to boost trade between Africa and the United Arab Emirates

PRESS RELEASE

Kenya Airways Cargo and Astral Aviation sign codeshare agreement to boost trade between Africa

and the United Arab Emirates

Nairobi, 30th January 2023 - Kenya Airways cargo unit, (KQ Cargo) and Astral Aviation, two leading cargo operators in the African continent, have signed a codeshare agreement, a first in Africa, that will boost trade between Africa and the Middle East.

KQ will put its codeshare flight numbers on Astral Aviation flights originating from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates into Nairobi, for onward distribution within Africa. The agreement is expected to boost trade and commodity movement from the Middle East into Africa by leveraging the strengths of the two cargo operators in the Nairobi cargo hub at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Commenting on the codeshare agreement, Kenya Airways Cargo Director, Mr. Dick Murianki, said that the partnership will provide both airlines' cargo customers with more options to boost trade between the UAE and Africa, "KQ Cargo and Astral Aviation have had a long-standing commercial cooperation for the past 20 years, and this partnership is a continuation of our efforts to strengthen collaboration and partnerships amongst African airlines and to boost intercontinental trade while driving sustainable development of the African continent."

Mr. Sanjeev Gadhia, the Chief Executive Officer for Astral Aviation, said, "This codeshare agreement, a first among two major players in the cargo sphere in Africa, will lead to a more efficient schedule and increased capacity for African traders wishing to bring in goods from the Middle East."

Kenya Airways and Astral Aviation have had a commercial and interline cooperation for cargo for the past 20 years, which has benefited both airlines by enabling cargo to move on their respective networks, thus creating the largest cargo network in Africa from the freighter-friendly Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Astral Aviation contracted Kenya Airways repurposed Dreamliners to carry Covid related materials from Guangzhou to Nairobi for onward connection to the rest of Africa.

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About Kenya Airways

Kenya Airways, a member of the Sky Team Alliance, is a leading African airline flying to 42 destinations worldwide, 35 of which are in Africa. Prior to the COVID pandemic, the airline carried a record number of over five million passengers in 2019. Its fleet comprises of wide body Boeing aircrafts, this includes its flagship B787 Dreamliner and narrow body Embraer E190 aircrafts. The on-board service is renowned and the lie-flat business class seat on the wide-body aircraft is consistently voted among the world's top 10. Kenya Airways takes pride in being at the forefront of connecting Africa to the World and the World to

Africa through its hub at the new ultra-modern Terminal 1A at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.

For more information go to www.kenya-airways.comor call our 24-hour Customer Services Desk: +254 20

327 4747, Twitter: @KenyaAirways, Facebook: KenyaAirways, Instagram: OfficialKenyaAirways.

About Astral Aviation

Astral Aviation is a dedicated cargo airline which is based at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya, and operates a fleet of 15 cargo aircrafts to over 50 destinations in Africa, from its hubs in Nairobi, Johannesburg, Liege, Dubai, and Hong Kong.

Celebrating its 23rd Anniversary in 2023, Astral is the fastest growing Cargo Airline in Africa with a diversified fleet capacity which ranges from 5 tons to 110 tons and has recently taken delivery of its Boeing 757-200 Freighter.

For media information: Astral Aviation Media Relations -https://www.astral-aviation.com/news/

For media queries please contact:

Kanyingi Kuria- Corporate Communications, Kenya

Airways:

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Grace Wahu - Edelman:

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