Warm welcome: InvestHK's Acting Director-General of Investment Promotion John Rutherford presents a souvenir to Kenya Airways' Merita Ombuor, welcoming the company to Hong Kong.

Kenya Airways will launch its first direct connection between east Africa and Hong Kong. It will be the first new route to Hong Kong since the containment of SARS.

It not only marks a strategic move for Kenya Airways to expand into the Asian market, it also reflects the importance of Hong Kong as a key regional aviation hub.

The company has established a business presence in Hong Kong this month to oversee what will be its only route into north Asia.

From September 3, three weekly flights will originate in Hong Kong with a short stop-over in Bangkok, providing customers with conveniently scheduled connections to the entire African continent via Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Kenya Airways' spokesperson Merita Ombuor said the company has great confidence in the Asian aviation market. 

"Despite the current worldwide economic slowdown, we believe there is still much room for the expansion of flight services in the region, particularly in mainland China which continues to show strong economic growth."

To prepare for expansion, the company will launch a recruitment exercise on July 19 at the Marriott Hotel.