Do More With Reuters
Partner Services

Kenya Airways traffic from China rises despite chaos

Thu Jan 31, 2008 9:56pm IST
 
Email | Print | | Single Page
[-] Text [+]

By Helen Nyambura-Mwaura

NAIROBI, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Kenya Airways' (KQNA.NR: Quote, Profile, Research) passenger traffic from China rose in January despite a post-election crisis which has hit business on other routes including Europe, its chief executive said on Thursday.

The national carrier's business fell 15 percent in January compared to the previous year, as travellers cancelled business and holiday tripsto east Africa's biggest economy.

"Amazingly, the Far East, which we opened a few years ago ... is one market that is holding very strongly," chief executive Titus Naikuni told a press conference.

"We haven't seen any dip, in fact, we've seen the opposite. It's an increase in terms of passengers coming from China."

The national carrier has flights to Hong Kong and Guangzhou. Passenger numbers to India had also increased, after Air India dropped its flights to Nairobi, Naikuni said.

Kenya Airways was now flying to Mumbai, he said, adding that Western and Central African routes had also held up.

Most tourists have cancelled or postponed holidays to Kenya after images of its legendary wildlife and landscapes have been eclipsed by scenes of violence broadcast around the world.

Protests against President Mwai Kibaki's disputed re-election last month have turned into ethnic clashes and killed some 850 people.  Continued...

REUTERS WEEKEND

Glory for Big B

Lifetime award for Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan.  Video 

'Trashy' Affair

Beijing man turns unwanted plastic bags into kites.  Video 

 
The new Droid phone, a Motorola Inc. and Verizon Wireless phone based on Google Inc's Android 2.0 system, is shown at a media event in New York October 28, 2009.REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Motorola Droid

Not the Droid you’re looking for?  Blog 

View of the Casa Poporului or House of the People, now the Parliament Palace, in downtown Bucharest November 6, 2009.  REUTERS/Bogdan Cristel
Travel Postcard

48 hours in Bucharest for architecture buffs.  Full Article 

 
Russian Finance Minister Alexey Kudrin poses with his G20 colleagues and central bank leaders during the family photo at the G20 Finance Ministers meeting at a hotel in St. Andrews, Scotland. REUTERS/POOL New
Pledge to support economies

G20 financial leaders pledged to prepare strategies to end emergency support for their economies, but to keep the aid flowing until recovery was assured.  Full Article | Related Story 

Photo
Miss England gives up crown over brawl reports Friday, 6 Nov 2009 

LONDON (Reuters) - Beauty pageant winner Miss England gave up her title on Friday after reports she had been involved in a nightclub brawl with another beauty queen.  Full Article