KQ may start Hajj Flights
http://www.eastandard.net/hm_news/news.php?articleid=1143961752
Kenya Airways has opened a new ticketing office in Eastleigh. The office will serve the neighbourhood’s vast business community, particularly traders who source merchandise from the Middle East and Asia. With an estimated monthly turnover of $20 million (Sh1.44 billion), Eastleigh has one of the highest concentration of traders in the country. "We expect that our customers will find it more convenient," said Mr Titus Naikuni, group managing director and chief executive, at an opening ceremony yesterday. The franchised sales outlet, the carrier’s first in Kenya, will be run by travel agent Akarim Agencies at Amal Plaza. The airline will provide branding material, sales and ticketing equipment as well as the technical support, while Akarim Agencies will provide staff to manage the outlet. Akarim Agencies chairman Mr Ibrahim Khanyare said the travel agent now has four branches in the country, three in Nairobi and one in Mombasa. Naikuni also said the national carrier may have direct flights to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia next year. He said Kenya Airways was working towards opening the route via another destination to serve Muslim on their Hajj next year. Naikuni was reacting to a call from the Eastleigh Business Community Chairman Mr Hassan Guleid. Over the last three years, there have been persistent calls for the national carrier to introduce flights to Jeddah during the Holy month of Ramadhan.