TOURISM, INVESTMENT DRIVE KLM GROWTH IN THE EAST AFRICA REGION

Dutch flag carrier KLM is set to increase capacity on its Entebbe and Dar es Salaam routes from October, buoyed by increased traffic between the Netherlands and East Africa.

KLM plans to offer three non-stop flights a week from Europe to Entebbe and Dar es Salaam by delinking its services from Kilimanjaro and Kigali airports. The two destinations will now be linked by two Kigali-Kilimanjaro flights three days a week.

“We expect a 14 per cent and 46 per cent growth in passenger numbers at Entebbe and Dar es Salaam airports, driven by the growth in the economies of the two countries and the willingness of Dutch traders to invest in the region, especially in agribusiness,” KLM manager for Uganda Dick van Nieuwenhuyzen said.

Under the current schedule that ends October 27, KLM runs seven weekly flights to Entebbe and Kigali while Dar es Salaam enjoys the same frequency via Kilimanjaro.

“In general, Africa is a late booking market. Passengers only start to book a few weeks before departure while Europe and the US is an early booking market,” said Mr Nieuwenhuyzen.

KLM operates Airbus 330 aircraft, which have a capacity of 243 passengers.

Mr van Nieuwenhuyzen said tourism as well as the oil and gas sectors were attracting a lot of interest in Uganda and Tanzania, driving up traffic to the two countries. Dutch investors are also keen on agribusiness opportunities in the two countries, he added.

Uganda’s tour operators are upbeat about the new development as it will spur growth in the tourism sector.

“We are very excited at KLM’s move because many times almost 80 per cent of their international passengers tend to end up in Rwanda,” said Amos Wekesa, the managing director of Great Lakes Safaris in Uganda.

Data from Uganda’s Civil Aviation Authority shows that Entebbe is projected to register an increase in passenger traffic by 12 per cent this year, driven by increasing tourist arrivals and the discovery of oil in the western region.

Last year, Entebbe registered 1.34 million passengers, representing an 8.5 per cent increase in the international arrivals.

Whereas the number of tourist arrivals into Uganda increased from 844,000 in 2011 to 1.2 million in 2012, according to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, Tanzania‘s tourist arrivals also increased from 867,994 to 1,077, 058 during the same period.

KLM also plans to introduce three flights per week to Kigali via Kilimanjaro, with the latter contributing 60 per cent of the travellers.

KLM entered the Ugandan market in 2005 starting with three times a week and later daily flights via Kigali.

Kigali contributes 25 per cent of the passengers on the Kigali-Entebbe-Amsterdam route while 60 per cent of the passengers on the Dar es Salaam-Amsterdam route come from Kilimanjaro.

Source: The East African