Lanka-East Africa air link, a boon for S. Indian travellers

South Indians will have a better choice of route to fly to east African destinations, with the inking of a deal between Sri Lanka and Kenya.

At present, there are two main routes for India – East Africa passenger and goods traffic: via Mumbai or via West Asia (mainly Dubai). But with the inking of an agreement between Kenya and Sri Lanka, this situation will soon change.

agreement

The Kenyan Transport Minister, Mr Amos Kimunya, and the Sri Lanka High Commissioner to Kenya, Mr J.P. Dissanayake, signed the agreement on January 19, the Nairobi-based

Business Daily , which is part of the influential Nation Media Group, reported today. The agreement provides for unrestricted weekly frequencies and code share arrangements, meaning that two airlines can share the same flight.

benefits

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“Kenya is an important gateway to East Africa and we hope to use this agreement to encourage more business into the region,” Mr.Dissamayake is quoted as saying. The country also hopes to strengthen its ties in the region.

The opening of the route would benefit South India travellers given the frequent connections from Colombo to Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and other cities in Kerala, Tamil Nadu.