An Air India plane taking off from Beijing International Airport. [Photo/ indiatimes.com]
India’s national carrier, Air India, is expected to resume its direct flights to Nairobi before the end of the year, seven years after it suspended aviation business in the route.Air India chairman and managing director Ashwani Lohani said the airline will re-launch flights to Kenyans capital after establishing market demand.“Air India will fly to Washington from July 7, Stockholm from August 15, and Los Angeles from September 1, to be followed by Tel Aviv, Dallas and Nairobi sometime later during the year 2017. Air India spreads its wings far and wide,” Lohani said in a Facebook post.Air India stopped its Mumbai-Nairobi-Dar es Salaam flights in 2010. The airline has lately stepped up its international expansion plans to Europe and the US.Kenya is expected to capitalize on the resumption of the flights to boost its tourism sector as the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) steps up efforts to attract tourists from Asia.KTB is currently on a marketing offensive marketing the county as a preferred tourism destination.Air India has a fleet of 140 planes and controls nearly 15 per cent of the Indian domestic market.