LONDON, (The Southern African Times) – The national carriers of Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo – Kenya Airways and Congo Airways – signed a two-year partnership agreement on Thursday with the overall objectives of viability and sustainability of the two airlines.
The agreement was signed by Kenya Airways Group CEO Allan Kilavuka and Congo Airways’ Desire Balazire Bantu on what was the final day of a three-day state visit by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Kenyatta and his Congolese counterpart Felix Tshisekedi witnessed the signing of the partnership.
A statement from the Kenyan presidency said the agreement will see both airlines cooperate in areas of mutual interest, among them aircraft maintenance, training and sharing of excess capacity.
“Also included in the two-year agreement, whose overarching objective is viability and sustainability of the airlines, is a route and code sharing provision aimed at expanding the carriers domestic, African and international networks,” the statement said.
The deal comes as airlines across the continent attempt to shore up resources as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause massive disruptions to the resumption of international air travel.
Last month, Kenya Airways reported its worst ever loss of about $330 million (Sh36.2 billion) dealing a major blow to its recovery efforts.
