Kenya Airways has started flying between its Nairobi hub and the Italian capital.
The African airline launched its new route yesterday, and is currently the only carrier to link the two countries directly.
Services will operate three times a week, on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Flight KQ121 from Rome’s Fiumucino airport leaves at 10.25am, arriving into Nairobi at 7.05pm.
The flight from Nairobi (KQ120) leaves at 12.55am, arriving into Rome at 6.30am.
In the past, flying between Italy and Nairobi often involved a back-track, for example via Paris or Zurich.
Fellow Skyteam member Alitalia is codesharing on the route (applying its AZ code to flights), and will represent Kenya Airways in the Italian market through its own sales network.
Alitalia will also codeshare on flights operated by Kenya Airways between Nairobi and Mombasa, while other destinations in Africa will be covered by an interline agreement, as both airlines are Skyteam members.
Interlining is when both passengers and their bags can through-check, when travelling on a single ticket. This agreement will also cover passengers opting to fly between the UK and Nairobi with Alitalia and Kenya Airways, via Rome.
Italy-bound passengers on Kenya Airways will also be able to check their bags through to onward destinations, when changing at Rome.
Kenya Airways is codesharing on Alitalia’s flights between Rome and Milan Malpensa and will represent Alitalia through its own sales network in Kenya and in other east African countries: Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and Mozambique.
www.alitalia.com www.kenya-airways.com