Air Austral, Air Madagascar & Kenya Airways finalise partnership

Indian Ocean carriers Air Austral and Air Madagascar have signed a “privileged partnership agreement” with Kenya Airways, firming up an MOU that was formed between the three airlines in July. Reunion-based Air Austral took an equity stake in Air Madagascar late last year, creating a strategic partnership between the two airlines. “With the signing today of this new partnership with Kenya Airways, the strategic partnership between Air Austral and Air Madagascar is taking on a new dimension,” Air Austral president and CEO Marie-Joseph Malé said. The agreement with Kenya Airways was signed in Nairobi Dec. 17, establishing Nairobi as a mainland Africa hub for the three airlines. The airlines will codeshare and coordinate their schedules for better connectivity. Kenya Airways and Air Madagascar will start codesharing on Nairobi-Antananarivo from Jan. 21, 2019. This will be joined by a second codeshare between Kenya Airways and Air Austral on Nairobi-Réunion, with an intermediate stop still to be confirmed.<br/>