London Gatwick strengthens African connectivity with new Kenya Airways route to Nairobi

Airlines

-

London, UK, 03 July 2025

Kenya Airways has launched a three-weekly service between London Gatwick and Nairobi
The route is the latest in London Gatwick’s expanding connectivity across Africa
London Gatwick recently welcomed four flights a week to Entebbe in Uganda

London Gatwick has further expanded its African network with the launch of Kenya Airways’ new direct service to Nairobi.

The route, starting today (3 July), marks the only non-stop connection between London Gatwick and the Kenyan capital.

The new service is a key milestone in London Gatwick’s strategy to enhance connectivity with high-growth markets across Africa, with the airport now serving 19 destinations across the continent. It follows the introduction of routes by Ethiopian Airlines and Uganda Airlines, strengthening the airport’s role as a gateway for trade, tourism and investment between the UK and Africa.

The Nairobi route will provide onward connections to more than 40 destinations across Africa such as Johannesburg – home to the continent’s largest stock exchange - the white sands of the Seychelles and Zanzibar, and mountain treks at Kilimanjaro, supporting business and leisure travellers.

Jonathan Pollard, Chief Commercial Officer, London Gatwick said: “We are delighted to welcome this new service from Kenya Airways, providing a vital route to Nairobi and onward connectivity across the region.

“Following the recent addition of flights between London Gatwick and Uganda, alongside the existing service to Ethiopia, the new Kenya Airways route further demonstrates our commitment to growing connectivity across the region. It also shows the growing demand for key long-haul services from London Gatwick and the breadth of opportunity for the South East and beyond.”

Allan Kilavuka, Group MD and CEO, Kenya Airways, said: “This inaugural flight to London Gatwick is not just about adding a new destination; it's about opening more doors for trade, tourism, education and strengthening the vital connections between Kenya and the UK."

Lord Collins, the UK Government’s Minister for Africa, said: "The launch of the new, first-of-its-kind direct flight between Kenya and London Gatwick is fantastic news - bringing a welcome boost to tourism, trade, and people-to-people connections between our two countries.

"The flight represents further evidence of our strengthening partnership for economic growth."

NOTES

In 2024, total trade in goods and services between the UK and Kenya reached £1.8bn, with UK exports valued at £786m.

The UK is also home to a vibrant Kenyan diaspora, estimated at more than 150,000 people, many of whom maintain strong personal and business ties with Kenya.

London Gatwick routes to Africa

Route	Airline(s)	Frequency/week
Accra, Ghana	British Airways	3
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia	Ethiopian Airlines	4
Agadir	easyJet, British Airways, TUI	9
Algiers	British Airways	7
Cape Verde (BVC)	TUI	5
Cape Town, South Africa	Norse	3
Casablanca, Morocco	Royal Air Maroc	7
Enfidha	easyJet, TUI	14
Entebbe, Uganda	Uganda Airlines	4
Freetown, Sierra Leone	Air Sierra Leone	3
Hurghada	easyJet, TUI	9
Lagos, Nigeria	Air Peace	7
Marrakech, Morocco	easyJet, British Airways, Wizz Air, TUI	29
Mauritius	Air Mauritius, British Airways	8
Nairobi, Kenya	Kenya Airways	3
Cape Verde (SID)	easyJet, TUI	5
Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt	TUI, easyJet	9
Tangier	Royal Air Maroc, Air Arabia Maroc	6
Tunis, Tunisia	Nouvelair, Tunisair	10

About London Gatwick

With 43 million annual passengers, London Gatwick is the UK’s second largest and one of Europe’s top ten airports. It is a vital piece of national infrastructure that drives both the national and regional economies by generating £5.5 billion GVA and supporting over 76,000 jobs (2023). Almost 60 airlines fly from the airport to over 150 short-haul and more than 50 long-haul destinations. With a declared capacity of 55 movements an hour, London Gatwick is the most efficient single runway airport in the world.

The airport is located 28 miles south of the UK capital and is extremely well-connected, with more than a quarter of England’s population (15 million people) – including all of London – less than one hour away by road or rail. A six-year, £2 billion sustainable growth programme includes an ambitious plan to be a net zero airport by 2030 and to increase capacity by bringing the airport’s existing Northern Runway into routine use, alongside its Main Runway. Vinci Airports owns a 50.01% stake in the airport, with Global Infrastructure Partners managing the remaining 49.99%.

About VINCI Airports

VINCI Airports, as the leading private airport operator in the world, manages the development and operation of more than 70 airports located in 14 countries. VINCI Airports draws on its expertise as a comprehensive integrator to develop, finance, build and operate airports, leveraging its investment capability and know-how to optimise operational performance and modernise infrastructure while bringing about their environmental transition. In 2016, VINCI Airports became the first airport operator to commit to an international environmental strategy, setting itself the aim of reaching zero net emissions (scope 1 and 2) across the network by 2050 while supporting the territories’ local climate transition.

For more information:

www.vinci-airports.com

@VINCIAirports

https://www.linkedin.com/company/vinci-airports/

About Global Infrastructure Partners

Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a part of BlackRock, is a leading infrastructure investor that specializes in investing in, owning and operating some of the largest and most complex assets across the energy, transport, digital infrastructure and water and waste management sectors. With energy pragmatism central to our investment thesis, we are well positioned to support the global energy transition.

GIP’s scaled platform has over $170 billion in assets under management. We believe that our focus on real infrastructure assets, combined with our deep proprietary origination network and comprehensive operational expertise, enables us to be responsible stewards of our clients’ capital and to create positive economic impact for communities. For more information, visit www.global-infra.com.