The world’s largest international airline, Emirates Airlines, marks 30 successful years of flying to Nairobi in Kenya.
EMIRATES AIRLINES SERVES NAIROBI FOR 30 YEARS
Since its inaugural flight in October 1995, Emirates has indeed carried over 6.6 million passengers to and from the country, on over 34,250 flights.
Commenting on the milestone, Christophe Leloup, Emirates’ Country Manager for Kenya said:
“Since launch, Nairobi has been one of the most consistently busy destinations on our African network, not just with international tourists but with corporate travellers connecting with one of the continent’s major economic hubs. Over the last three decades, we have steadily and strategically expanded our operations both in the skies and on the ground to provide our renowned world-class experience in Kenya. We are proud to play a key role in Kenya’s aviation, tourism and trade journey and remain committed to the destination for the decades to come.”
PROVIDING VAST CONNECTIVITY
Since its first flight, Emirates has provided an outstanding passenger experience and, to date, remains the only airline serving Kenya with private, enclosed First Class cabins. The airline also offers one of the most generous baggage allowances on the market.
Served with a double daily Boeing 777 service, Emirates connects Nairobi, one of the fastest growing cities in Africa, with over 145 countries on its vast global network, facilitating trade and tourism.
In the last year, key inbound traffic has been from Asia and Australasia, including South Korea, China, Thailand and Australia as well as ultra-long-haul passengers travelling from the US.
Outbound traffic is similar, with travellers from Kenya visiting destinations such as Shanghai and Beijing, China; Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, Australia; and Seattle, New York and Washington.
PARTNERSHIP WITH KENYA AIRWAYS
Further expanding their combined footprints, Emirates and Kenya’s flag carrier, Kenya Airways, signed an interline partnership in 2023, offering seamless one-ticket-itineraries and unlocking connectivity to some of the most in-demand tourist destinations in East Africa.
In the last 2 years, 31,000 passengers have taken advantage of the partnership – with almost a 50/50 balance between Kenya Airways passengers and Emirates passengers.
The most popular destinations Emirates passengers travel to beyond Nairobi are Rwanda, Malawi, Tanzania (Kilimanjaro), Mozambique and Burundi.
FACILITATING CARGO
Emirates SkyCargo, the airline’s freight division, has played a key role in facilitating global trade with Kenya, operating three weekly freighters into Nairobi, in addition to the bellyhold capacity in passenger aircraft.
Kenya is one of the top four flower producing countries in the world, growing popular buds such as roses, carnations and chrysanthemums.
In 2024, Emirates SkyCargo uplifted over 16,000 tonnes of fresh cut flowers, transporting them from farm to florist in as little as 24 hours.
CREATING JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Emirates also created employment opportunities, both with the 50-person strong staff in Nairobi and across its global operations.
Over 1,100 Kenyans work with The Emirates Group in a variety of different roles, from HR, sales and marketing, through to flight deck.
254 of those employees work as part of Emirates’ multinational Cabin Crew community, and a further 41 are employed as pilots, travelling all over the globe with the world’s largest international airline.
ALSO READ: More jobs in 2025: Emirates goes on major recruitment drive
