Kenya Airways and the Air France KLM Group have agreed to terminate their Africa-Europe joint venture from September 2021.
The airlines had already suspended their agreement last year following the global cessation of flights due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the accompanying and ongoing economic crisis.
Observers attribute the ending of the partnership to Kenya Airways expressing the wish to re-nationalise the airline.
Kenya Airways, established in 1977, was a government-owned and run airline. It was privatised in 1996, but talks of re-nationalisation began in 2019 after the airline had experienced crippling losses from 2014 onwards, following political violence around elections and the Westgate Shopping Mall terrorism incident, both in 2013.
The JV partnership began in 1995, arising out of route agreements between KQ and KL and expanded with additional routes over time. KLM took a stake in KQ during its privatisation in the 90s, and for a while held 26% which has dwindled to a 7,8% stake today. The Air France-KLM merger in 2018 meant even more connectivity between Paris, Amsterdam, and Nairobi.
Kenya Airways became and still is the only African carrier in the Skyteam Alliance.
Kenya Airways ceo, Allan Kilavuka, said in a statement that the carrier would continue to serve the European market via London, Paris, Amsterdam and Rome. He said the routes would be served by onward codeshares from the Air France - KLM Group as well as an expanding network of European carriers, including British Airways, Lufthansa and Swiss.