Contrary to what many believe, national carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) is not a monopoly. There are alternatives for virtually all routes in its network. The question then arises; why fly KQ when other airlines compete on price points and other considerations? Here are five reasons for Kenyans to keep flying the national carrier.
1. Proudly Kenyan
KQ is a Kenyan company that is international, having offices in more than 40 countries around the world. It is an employer of more than 4 thousand people directly, 16 thousand others indirectly and catalyst of more than half a million other jobs in attendant industries associated with Kenya’s aviation sector. Flying foreign alternatives is, at once, the export of the country’s forex to other jurisdictions and the outsourcing of much-needed jobs to other countries.
2. Direct flights
KQ offers direct flights from Nairobi to most of the destinations it covers. For the time-conscious traveller, this is a good proposition that saves up to 24 hours when pitted against competing airlines that involve a stop-over before the final destination.
3. Intra-Africa connections
KQ offers great intra-Africa connections. From Nairobi, one can access most of the capitals on the continent within 5 hours. The national carrier intends to enhance these connections in keeping with the continent’s aspirations embodied in the Single African Air Travel Market initiative. Accessing the same destinations on many foreign airlines would entail flying out of the continent first before flying back in again after several hours or days.
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4. Fair competition
Many competing airlines offering cheap fares may be engaged in capacity dumping. The dictionary describes capacity dumping as “a situation where a dominant airline significantly increases its capacity (number of flights or seat availability) on a particular route, often at lower prices, to drive competitors out of the market.” Capacity dumpers often increase their prices astronomically once they become monopolies. Without KQ, Kenyans would be exploited mercilessly by foreign operators with huge fleets.
5. E-commerce enabler
KQ is a great enabler of e-commerce. The world is now in the age of business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions. Statistically, 80 per cent of cross-border commerce B2C is by air. Many Kenyans now order their needs directly from businesses overseas or across borders with KQ carrying a lot of these in their cargo freighters or in the bellies of their passenger planes.
It is instructive to note that Kenya cannot depend wholly on foreign freighters. Recent history has seen these foreigners move their capacity to more lucrative markets driven by the exponential growth of e-commerce. Kenya must build her capacity in the national carrier and other local airlines.
It is true that KQ has suffered multiple disruptions in its schedules. But this is a post-covid 19 feature that is prevalent in all airlines around the world. This is because globally, the availability of aircraft continues to be constrained by supply chain challenges and production limitations. Flight disruptions are being managed and will soon come to an end. They should not preclude anyone from flying the national carrier. Let’s fly KQ and keep the Pride of Africa soaring high.
