Kenya Airways launched direct flights to Hanoi from its hub at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on March 31st, making it the first African airline to connect to Vietnam.

The carrier will fly the Boeing 787-800 three times per week to Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi.

Kenya Airways's CEO Mbuvi Ngunze said the introduction of the flight was in line with the airline's strategy to connect Africa with Asia.

"Vietnam has shown considerable and stable economic growth in recent years, and there has been increased trade between the East Asian country and African markets. Our direct flight to Hanoi will offer easy connectivity to business and leisure travellers and will open up trade opportunities between the two fast-growing regions," he said.

He noted that this first direct flight connecting Vietnam and Africa will leverage the ties between Africa, Vietnam and the larger Asian market, which are mainly driven by trade-labour relations and tourism./.

VNF/VNA