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When China Southern Airlines touches down at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on August 5， it will be the first time a Chinese airline has made a direct journey to the African continent， heralding a new era in aviation. The flight is expected to operate three times a week from China’s southern city of Guangzhou to the Kenyan capital and offer an alternative service for Kenyan travelers.
The new direct service could shave off two hours in travel time between China and continental Africa and signify the start of a growing trend. Another Chinese airline， Air China， is expected to launch flights between Beijing and Addis Ababa starting from October 26.
The launch of the Chinese direct flight routes is seen as a response to the growing ventures by African airlines into China.
Both Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines， two of Africa’s largest flight operators in terms of networks， already fly into China， with Ethiopian going to several cities.
According to the Center for Aviation， an organization that analyzes market trends in aviation， the traffic flow between Africa and China has been increasing steadily since 2005. Ethiopian Airlines is expected to transport at least 360，000 passengers this year， followed by EgyptAir （140，000）， Kenya Airways （90，000） and South African Airways （49，000）.
While China Southern Airlines did launch leisure flights between Shenzen and Mauritius last year， mainly targeting tourists， the island nation lies off Africa’s east coast； the new venture will target the continental mainland.
Future prospects
In 2014， while on his official visit to Africa， Chinese Premier Li Keqiang called for stronger collaboration between Africa and China - involving investments， and road， rail and air transport - to open up the continent to more trade.
But it is also about future prospects. According to the International Air Transport Association （IATA）， eight of the top 10 fastest-growing markets in the next 20 years will come from Africa. Demand for air travel is expected to grow around 5 percent a year for the next 20 years， providing opportunities for air carriers， both domestic and foreign， to open new services and have a share of the aviation pie， the IATA said in a brief.
“With the Chinese economy expanding and African economies set for major growth in coming years， the potential for increased trade and tourism between China and Africa is an excellent one for Chinese and African carriers to take advantage of，” Raphael Kuuchi， IATA Vice President for Africa， told ChinAfrica.
The new direct service could shave off two hours in travel time between China and continental Africa and signify the start of a growing trend. Another Chinese airline， Air China， is expected to launch flights between Beijing and Addis Ababa starting from October 26.
The launch of the Chinese direct flight routes is seen as a response to the growing ventures by African airlines into China.
Both Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines， two of Africa’s largest flight operators in terms of networks， already fly into China， with Ethiopian going to several cities.
According to the Center for Aviation， an organization that analyzes market trends in aviation， the traffic flow between Africa and China has been increasing steadily since 2005. Ethiopian Airlines is expected to transport at least 360，000 passengers this year， followed by EgyptAir （140，000）， Kenya Airways （90，000） and South African Airways （49，000）.
While China Southern Airlines did launch leisure flights between Shenzen and Mauritius last year， mainly targeting tourists， the island nation lies off Africa’s east coast； the new venture will target the continental mainland.
Future prospects
In 2014， while on his official visit to Africa， Chinese Premier Li Keqiang called for stronger collaboration between Africa and China - involving investments， and road， rail and air transport - to open up the continent to more trade.
But it is also about future prospects. According to the International Air Transport Association （IATA）， eight of the top 10 fastest-growing markets in the next 20 years will come from Africa. Demand for air travel is expected to grow around 5 percent a year for the next 20 years， providing opportunities for air carriers， both domestic and foreign， to open new services and have a share of the aviation pie， the IATA said in a brief.
“With the Chinese economy expanding and African economies set for major growth in coming years， the potential for increased trade and tourism between China and Africa is an excellent one for Chinese and African carriers to take advantage of，” Raphael Kuuchi， IATA Vice President for Africa， told ChinAfrica.