Emirates Airline will from next month scale down operations into Nairobi to a daily flight from two, due to repair works at Dubai International Airport.
From May 1 to July 21, the airline will operate a single flight similar to its rival Kenya Airways.
The Nairobi -Dubai route is popular with business and leisure travellers and is a major transit point for Kenyans to the rest of the world, meaning there could be a capacity squeeze.
To cushion its business on the route, Emirates will deploy a larger aircraft from the current 340-500 with a capacity of 267 passengers to a Boeing 777-300ER, which can carry up to 364 passengers.
KQ has yet to announce if it will be affected by the Dubai International Airport repair works, where it operates a daily evening flight on Boeing 767-300ER, with a capacity of 216 passengers.
This aircraft will, however, be replaced before the end of the year with a new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, with a larger capacity of 234 passengers.
A statement issued by Dubai Airport, the Emirates hub, said the work would reduce flight movement to one of the world’s busiest airport by 26 per cent.
In February, the airport handled 5.67 million passengers up 11.7 per cent compared to the same month in 2013.
“We have planned this project to optimise capacity while protecting service levels and, in conjunction with constructors Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects, airlines and other stakeholders, have deployed all the resources necessary to make it as smooth and seamless as possible.
“While we regret any inconvenience caused to our airline customers and our passengers, these upgrades are necessary to heighten safety, boost capacity and pave the way for future expansion,” said Dubai Airports chief executive Paul Griffiths in a statement.
About 20 airlines, excluding Kenya Airways, have applied to use the city’s second largest airport Al Maktoum International.
Affected airlines are expected to use bigger aircraft, which will increase load factors thus cushioning travel to the popular business and leisure destination.
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