Air Travel Around East Africa
Regional flights in East Africa have always added a significant expense to travel itineraries and to make things worse, the schedules are often sporadic. But despite the suspension of Tanzania's national airline (Air Tanzania) last December, things are looking up. Precision Air seems to have moved into the slot as Tanzania's most important airline, and is now partnered with Kenya Airways. Kenya Airways appears to be doing well and is also adding to its significant portfolio of destinations with new scheduled flights to Bangui, Kisangani and Malabo.
RwandAir is adding flights to Goma, Brussels and Dar es Salaam, and also has a codeshare agreement with Ethiopian Airlines. I'm planning to check out RwandAir's services next June from Kilimanjaro to Kigali. Their handy schedule allows me to take a quick side-trip to check out the gorillas after a Tanzanian safari.
540 the region's only low-cost regional airline is also adding to their growing list of destinations. You can fly from Nairobi to Zanzibar, Malindi, Kilimanjaro, Lamu, Entebbe, Mombasa and now Lodwar (northern Kenya). 540 is an excellent option for independent travelers, you can book online and they e-mail your tickets. Now there's progress.
If only they can figure out a direct flight to East Africa from the US. Ethiopia is the only destination in the region with an "open skies" agreement, but you still have a stop in Rome along the way. Uganda just signed an agreement this week with the FAA but we'll have to wait to see if Entebbe can meet the various conditions required before any flights are actually scheduled.
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Image - © 540 Africa's Low-cost Airline
Anouk,
I am not sure if you are aware but Ethiopian Airlines has also added a direct flight between Addis and Mombasa starting 25 OCT 2009. This works out great for Europeans connecting directly to Mombasa for an Indian Ocean Island Beach Vacation with the opportunity to experience a safari to nearby parks – Tsavo East and West, Amboseli, Shimba Hills.
I strongly recommend that you fly Ethiopian Airlines in Africa as they are one of the safest airlines in Africa. It is one of few African airlines licensed to fly to the United States and they have an incredible safety record. So I will strongly recommend Ethiopian Airlines which flies from Washington Dulles Airport to Addis Ababa and on to several destinations in Africa. It flies to more places in Africa than any other airline in the world.
Obviously Ethiopian is not given its due praise in this article, even though it operates an extensive network within the region. While the stop in Rome is seen as a detriment, it is still a better choice than having to connect through Heathrow or elsewhere in Europe with a longer layover. The issue here is simple economics and availability of long range aircraft. This is due to change in late 2010 with Ethiopian receiving its 777s.
Something tells me that East Africa does not include Ethiopia in the mind of the article’s author.