Emirates Announces Third Daily Flight to Nairobi

By The Weekly Vision Business Desk

Building on Emirates’ 30th anniversary of operations to Kenya, the world’s largest international airline has announced a third daily flight to Nairobi, commencing 1 March 2026. With the additional frequency, the Kenyan capital will be served by 21 Emirates flights per week, connecting travellers to Dubai and onward to the airline’s vast global network of close to 150 destinations.

The new flight complements Emirates’ existing schedule into Nairobi, adding early morning arrivals and departures to enhance two-way connectivity with key European destinations, including the UK, France, Norway and Italy, as well as the US. By creating easier access from key markets, the additional frequency will further support Kenya’s tourism goals, which aim to attract 5 million international tourists by 2030. EK717 will depart Dubai at 00:55 hrs, arriving at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 05:05 hrs; the return flight, EK718, will depart Nairobi at 06:50 hrs and arrive in Dubai at 12:50 hrs. In recent months, Emirates has been operating its double-daily flights at a healthy seat factor, underlining the growing demand for air travel.

The third daily service, operated on a three-class Boeing 777, will boost Emirates’ capacity and provide more access to the airline’s world-class product and services, including its First Class cabins, which Emirates exclusively operates in and out of the city. The new flight schedule has been optimised for connectivity with key flights operated by Kenya Airways, enabling seamless onward travel to top regional destinations such as Rwanda, Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Mozambique and Burundi. Since signing the agreement in 2023, over 31,000 passengers have benefited from the interline partnership between the two airlines, with a near 50/50 split of bookings, highlighting the mutual benefits for both Emirates and Kenya Airways customers.

Beyond passenger travel, the additional flight will also boost the transportation of goods to and from Kenya, with an additional 280 tonnes of capacity weekly in and out of Nairobi via the belly of the Boeing 777. The early morning departure will be particularly beneficial for the movement of time- and temperature-sensitive perishable commodities like fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers. Kenya and the UAE have deep-rooted and mutually beneficial bilateral and economic relations, headlined by the signing of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement earlier this year.

Emirates SkyCargo, the airline’s freight division, has played a key role in facilitating global trade with Kenya, operating three weekly freighters into Nairobi, in addition to the soon-to-be three daily passenger flights offering a total weekly capacity of over 1,100 tonnes in and out of the market. In October, Emirates marked 30 years of service to Nairobi, following the inaugural flight in 1995. Since then, the airline has carried over 6.6 million passengers to and from the country, forging key inbound traffic from South Korea, China, Thailand and Australia as well as ultra-long-haul passengers travelling from the US. The outbound traffic is similar, with destinations such as Shanghai and Beijing, China; Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, Australia; and Seattle, New York and Washington proving popular with travellers from Kenya.

In 2024, Emirates opened Africa’s first Emirates World store in Nairobi, introducing the airline’s refined retail store experience to the region for the first time. Featuring immersive product displays and an expert team to provide travel consultation and bookings, the store further elevates Emirates’ world-class customer experience on the ground.