Doha-based airline Qatar Airways is set to commence direct flights to Mombasa starting January next year.
The move is aimed at opening up the coastal region to more tourists from various parts of the Middle East.
Speaking during the launch of the sixth annual Magical Kenya Tourism Expo, Tourism Secretary Najib Balala said the government will grant the airline a license to offer services directly to Mombasa, in a bid to boost the economy of the county and nation at large.
“We have discussed with Qatar Airways and are working on the process. Hopefully by January, they will start flying directly into Mombasa,” said Balala.
“We are not going to stop airlines from coming to Kenya. If we want to achieve the three million mark arrivals, we need to open up our skies, there is no shortcut. Accessibility to the destination is paramount,” he added.
According to Businessdailyafrica, the new development will raise competition for Kenya Airways, which is currently struggling to recover following a heavy debt burden and increased cases of employee strikes.
Qatar Airways currently has direct flights to various parts of the continent including Addis Ababa, Djibouti, Kigali, Entebbe, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam as well as Nairobi.