Tanzania: Regional Airlines Step Up Competition Against Kenya Airways

The battle for the skies is shaping up in the East African region as airlines upgrade their fleet and expand destinations, setting the stage for heightened competition with established carriers such as Kenya Airways (KQ).

The regional airlines are also expanding their interline agreement with foreign carriers as they seek to increase their reach through codeshare.

The interline agreements and expansion of routes, mean that travellers from countries such as Uganda and Tanzania, no longer have to transit via Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to destinations where their local carriers do not fly.

Uganda Airlines, which resumed operations less than two years ago has for the first time started flights to South Africa and Dubai routes after plying within the region since its inauguration.

The Entebbe-based carrier begun the Dubai route a fortnight ago with three flights, and now wants to increase the frequencies from the current three weekly to four or five as the demand on the route grows.