Emirates has put its Airbus A350 on the Nairobi-Dubai route. The jet arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Wednesday as flight EK717 from Dubai, People Daily reported. According to Capital FM, it now flies the morning EK717 and EK718 services, replacing a Boeing 777. The airline's two other daily departures will keep using the Boeing 777.
The A350 seats 298 passengers in Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy, People Daily reported. It marks the first time Emirates has offered Premium Economy in the Kenyan market. The airline is targeting travellers who connect through Dubai to long-haul destinations in Europe and the United States. Emirates said the A350 has fewer seats than the Boeing 777. But it burns fuel more efficiently and costs less to run per seat.
Christophe Leloup, Emirates Country Manager for Kenya, said demand for Premium Economy had grown on long-haul routes beyond Dubai, especially to the US and Europe. He said the airline was already selling a lot of Premium Economy on those routes. Passengers, however, flew the first leg from Nairobi in Economy. Leloup said Premium Economy fares sit roughly halfway between Economy and Business Class. He added that the new aircraft would not bring a separate price change for the Nairobi market.
Rashid Al Ardha, Emirates Vice President for Commercial Operations in Sub-Saharan Africa, called Kenya one of the airline's priority markets in the region. "Kenya has always been a very important market for us in East Africa, and as a gateway for a lot of the tourism that comes into Kenya and out of Kenya," he said. He added that Kenya is now the airline's second-largest African market by capacity after South Africa.
Emirates added a third daily flight to Nairobi on July 1. Al Ardha said the carrier would keep looking for ways to expand its regional network, depending on passenger demand.
The new jet arrives as Emirates spends $5 billion (KSh 650 billion) refurbishing more than 200 Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 aircraft. Al Ardha said the airline expects to have refurbished about 115 aircraft by the end of 2026. Supply-chain problems have caused delays. Deliveries of the Boeing 777X are also behind schedule, while new A350s keep arriving every month.
The airline also said high global fuel prices are pushing up costs. Al Ardha said Emirates is using fuel hedging and other cost controls to soften the impact and keep fares competitive.