Kenya Airways has announced that it is not interested in investment partnerships with airlines from the Middle East. This comes as the national carrier goes out in search of a strategic investment partner.

By ruling out investment partnerships from the Middle East airlines, Kenya Airways has effectively declared that it would not entertain investment collaboration with some of the world’s major airlines that hail from that region, including Qatar Airways and Emirates Airways.

“Africa is a large continent by land mass and is trying to trade within itself amidst infrastructural deficiencies. Because we are large, by necessity we need to fly to trade. So, aviation is critical for economic development and that is what the Middle East carriers have realized. They want to kick in now and take advantage of the potential,” Kenya Airways chief executive officer Allan Kilavuka told a local business newspaper.

He stated that Middle East airlines are more interested on growing their airport hubs and as a result, Kenya Airways would not partner with them.

“Some of these carriers or investors are not necessarily good for Kenya or Africa because their aim is to grow their hub, yet what we are interested in is to grow our hub here,” he said. “If you do not create big aviation hubs in Africa, you will in effect be creating a big hub elsewhere.”

JKIA Adani raw deal pales against Rwanda, Ethiopia new airport constructions

His sentiments come as carriers from the Middle East scale up their investments in Africa. One of these carriers is Qatar Airways that has widely invested in Africa. Qatar Airways, regarded as one of the best airlines in the world, has partnered with the Rwandan government and is building a brand new airport outside of Kigali.

In the new airport, Qatar Airways will be the majority shareholder with a 60 per cent stake. The airport is being built south of the capital Kigali in the Bugesera District. Qatar Airways is also looking at taking 49 per cent of RwandaAir.