KENYAN national flag carrier Kenya Airways has announced a 35 per cent increase in domestic passenger volume through the month of December reflecting a growth in domestic flights to almost double December 2009.
The airline attributes the dramatic growth to increased capacity in shuttle-type frequencies and the renewal of Malindi as a destination for the domestic market.
Chief operating officer Bram Steller said: “We are delighted with the positive response that our customers have shown towards shuttle-type frequencies in various domestic destinations that we operate, further reaffirming that our continued focus to grow the domestic market is paying off.”
During December, Kenya Airways increased the frequency of daily flights to the coastal city of Mombasa from seven to as many as 16 a day just before and after Christmas.
Steller continued that, apart from increased demand for air travel to the coast during the holiday, the increase in frequency to Kisumu of four flights per day, the reopening of the Malindi route and the introduction of a dedicated service to the coast, dubbed the ‘Mombasa Shuttle‘, have all contributed to the spike in passenger volumes.
And he added: “We’ve already seen very strong customer response to our more flexible and aggressive pricing strategy and continued focus on customer service excellence plus ‘on-time performance’. It has all led to record bookings over the past month.”
The airline is also building its fleet with the recent addition of two Boeing 737-300s, two Embraer 170s and its first Embraer 190 to meet the growing demand for both domestic and regional services.