295. A game changer for Africa? Air Asia to launch Kuala Lumpur - Nairobi. An overview of why Nairobi and why now with Paul Carroll, Chief Commercial Officer, Air Asia Group

In this episode, we focus on a carrier that has recently announced it will be launching services to mainland Africa for the first time. 

Air Asia will launch Kuala Lumpur - Nairobi on 15th November with a 4 weekly service and deploy an Airbus A330-300 comprising 12 business class and 365 economy seats. 

I am joined by Paul Carroll, the Chief Commercial Officer of the Air Asia Group and together we cover

• An introduction to the Air Asia offering and business model
• Why Nairobi was chosen as the first entry point in Continental Africa and why now?
• How strong are the commercials on the route?
• What has the reaction been in the short time since the route was announced and put up for sale?
• How important is the Chinese market in the route's success?
• How will Air Asia stimulate the market to support the growth it will need to ensure the route is viable and successful?
• Why start with 4 frequencies per week?
• Are there plans for partnerships/ interlines with African carriers?
• What is the distribution strategy in Africa?

Connect/ Follow Paul on LinkedIn here

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