Kenya Airways and Air Austral, the French airline based on Reunion in the Indian Ocean, have launched a codeshare agreement aiming to enable passenger connectivity beyond Nairobi (NBO).

The accord took effect Oct. 29. The airlines both serve Johannesburg (JNB), Antananarivo (TNR) in Madagascar and Mahebourg (MRU) in Mauritius. Kenya Airways operates to JNB, MRU and TNR from its NBO hub, while Air Austral flies to the destinations from its Saint-Denis (RUN) base.

The common destinations will enable passengers to connect between NRB and RUN one-stop via the codeshare. According to the airlines, Air Austral passengers will be able to connect through Nairobi on Kenya Airways service to Amsterdam (AMS), Dar es Salaam (DAR) in Tanzania, Entebbe (EBB) in Uganda, Lagos (LOS), London Heathrow (LHR) and Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG).

Air Austral CEO Joseph Bréma said in a statement that the codeshare “opens new bridges between Africa and the Indian Ocean via our hubs, Nairobi and Reunion Island … The partnership attests to our determination to step up our offering and, therefore, extend Reunion Island's influence on the international stage.”

Kenya Airways CCO Julius Thairu added: “This partnership offers us an opportunity to provide our [passengers] with access to more destinations in the Indian Ocean Islands and opens up our country for tourism opportunities from visitors coming from the islands. This is aligned with our commitment to provide greater connectivity and market access … through our partners.”