Emirates will launch a third daily flight to Nairobi on 1st March 2026, bringing the total to 21 flights per week to the Kenyan capital. The announcement comes as the airline marks 30 years of operations to Kenya.
The service will operate on Boeing 777 aircraft with three cabin classes.
EK717 will depart Dubai at 00:55 hrs and arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 05:05 hrs. The return flight, EK718, will depart Nairobi at 06:50 hrs and arrive in Dubai at 12:50 hrs.
Nairobi gets third Emirates daily flight with 280 tonnes cargo capacity
The schedule has been designed to improve connections with destinations in Europe, including the UK, France, Norway and Italy, as well as the US. The airline operates to close to 150 destinations from Dubai.
The flight times will connect with Kenya Airways services to Rwanda, Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Mozambique and Burundi. Since the two airlines signed an interline agreement in 2023, over 31,000 passengers have used the partnership, with bookings split nearly equally between the two carriers.
The flight will add 280 tonnes of cargo capacity per week in and out of Nairobi. The departure time will facilitate the transport of fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers.
Emirates SkyCargo operates three weekly freighter flights to Nairobi, which together with the three daily passenger flights will provide over 1,100 tonnes of capacity per week.
The frequency aims to support Kenya’s target of attracting 5 million international tourists by 2030. Kenya and the UAE signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement in 2024.
Emirates has been operating double daily flights at capacity levels that demonstrate demand for travel. The airline operates First Class cabins on the route, which it exclusively provides in and out of Nairobi.
30 years of operations
Emirates launched flights to Nairobi in 1995. Since then, the airline has carried over 6.6 million passengers to and from Kenya. Traffic from South Korea, China, Thailand and Australia has been significant, along with passengers from the US.
Outbound passengers from Kenya travel to Shanghai and Beijing in China; Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney in Australia; and Seattle, New York and Washington in the US.
In 2024, Emirates opened Africa’s first Emirates World store in Nairobi, where customers can book travel and receive consultation from staff.
Bookings for all three daily flights are available on emirates.com, Emirates Retail Stores, the Emirates app, and through travel agencies.
