Summary
- Kenya Airways is set to resume its non-stop flights between Nairobi and Bangkok, offering three weekly flights from November 21.
- The route will also connect to Guangzhou, replacing its current nonstop service to the Chinese city.
- KQ has signed a long-term contract with Lufthansa Technik for aircraft components as increased demand for air travel has led the carrier to return parked aircraft.
As part of the drive to enhance its international network, Kenya Airways has set a return to Bangkok with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The service will be reinstated on November 21 after a nine-month hiatus and will provide passengers with the option to connect onward to Guangzhou.
Flying back to Thailand
Kenya's flag carrier will resume its non-stop service between Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta Airport (NBO) and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) in 14 weeks, starting with three weekly flights. Flights will be operated throughout the rest of the year.
The Nairobi-Bangkok service will be operated on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, while the return is operated on the same days. Flight KQ886 will leave NBO at 23:45 and arrive at BKK at 13:30 local time. The return flight KQ887 will depart BKK at 01:00 local time, arriving at NBO at 06:05.
Kenya Airways currently operates three weekly nonstop flights from Nairobi to Guangzhou Baiyun Airport (CAN), which the new service will replace. KQ886 will depart BKK at 14:40, arriving at CAN at 18:35, while KQ887 departs CAN at 21:40, arriving at BKK at 23:35.
The SkyTeam member previously operated two weekly flights on the NBO-BKK-CAN until the service was suspended on February 13. Passengers had to be re-routed via Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines and Dubai on Emirates.
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Kenya Airways Dreamliner
KQ will resume service to the Southeast Asian leisure hub with an additional weekly flight and the same aircraft. Passengers traveling on the route will have the chance to enjoy the carrier's onboard Dreamliner experience, which has 204 economy class and 30 business class (Premier World) seats.
Last month, the East African carrier signed a long-term contract with Lufthansa Technik AG to supply aircraft components for its 787-8 Dreamliner fleet. KQ will receive Total Component Support (TCS) from the Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) service provider until 2028.
The East Africa aviation market has significantly recovered post-pandemic, resulting in increased demand for air travel. As such, KQ had to return to service several jets parked during the pandemic, resulting in an increased demand for parts to prepare aircraft for flight. Kenya Airways CEO Alan Kilavuka said,
"Due to increased demand in air travel, Kenya Airways embarked on a journey of returning to service aircraft that were parked during the pandemic. This resulted in an increased demand for parts to make aircraft ready for flight. There has been a worldwide shortage of some raw materials negatively affecting some aircraft parts availability."
With the new contract, KQ will have access to Lufthansa Technik's worldwide parts pool and services, covering the classic MRO and Aircraft On Ground (AOG) support. The carrier is currently operating all nine of its Dreamliners, which will have increased availability of spare parts cost-effectively.
Lufthansa Technik Vice President Corporate Sales Europe, Middle East, and Africa Kai-Stefan Roepke added, "With access to our worldwide network of material and parts pools, our valued customer will indeed be able to significantly mitigate uncertainties in the global aircraft parts supply chain. We look forward to supporting Kenya Airways in the best possible way through our Total Component Support. This applies to the post-pandemic ramp-up phase as well as to the coming years of our cooperation."
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