From July 1, Italian airline ITA Airways, formerly Alitalia, will resume codeshare operations to Kenya, together with the airlines of the Lufthansa Group, of which it is a member.

Nairobi is one of the new destinations in Africa, Asia, and South America that will be connected to Italy via Germany or Belgium.

For now, these are only connections between Italian and German or Belgian airports, but it is a first step that could lead, if economic benefits are seen, to one or more direct flights on the Frankfurt-Nairobi route, with a stopover in Rome and Milan on the outbound and return legs. This is exactly what Kenya Airways tried to do a few years ago (departure and arrival in Geneva) and what Ethiopian Airways is still doing with Brussels and Scandinavia.

For now, the good news for ITA flights is that with a single ticket and no different baggage fees, you can fly directly to Nairobi and, soon, to Mombasa.

For now, starting in July, with tickets on sale this week, thanks to the new agreement, ITA Airways' AZ code will be introduced on flights to various African destinations served by the Lufthansa Group via Brussels (BRU), including Nairobi (NBO).

“With the introduction of new codeshare flights on intercontinental routes with Lufthansa Group airlines, ITA Airways is further strengthening its global presence,” said Joerg Eberhart, CEO and General Manager of ITA Airways. "Following the launch of the first codeshare flights on European routes in March, this expansion of the agreements represents a further step towards ever greater connectivity and a richer and more extensive travel offering for our customers. In particular, passengers will be able to travel on AZ-coded flights to African destinations such as Kenya, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, and Sierra Leone, which will go on sale in the coming weeks. This is another step forward in the integration of our airline into the Lufthansa Group, the fourth largest airline in the world and the largest in Europe, which will enable us to achieve even more significant results for the sustainable growth of ITA Airways."

Following the launch of the first intercontinental codeshare flights, ITA Airways and the Lufthansa Group will continue to work together to expand global connections and improve connectivity and travel options for passengers. In the coming months, the destination network will be further expanded with the addition of new codeshare flights on long-haul routes, which could include Mombasa.