Mumbai06 Nov 22 1 Traveller Economy
Showing International Flight from Nairobi
About Nairobi
The populous city of Nairobi is the capital of Kenya. Located in East Africa, the city actually replaced Mombasa, the former capital of Kenya, owing to the thriving economic and cultural development. Nairobi has been recognised as the financial and cultural hub of the country. Nairobi is also exclusively known to be home to more than 100 major international companies.
Best time to visit Nairobi
Nairobi's geographical positioning is elevated as it stands at an altitude of 5450 feet. Due to this, the city experiences a mild climate throughout the year. This is despite its proximity to the Equator. However, it still witnesses torrential rains, which would put quite a damper on your travel plans. Keeping a tab on the weather conditions ahead of planning a trip to East Africa is highly recommended. The rains could make or break the possibility of your trip, and hence, it is essential that you keep a check on the weather. Nairobi witnesses hot, wet and cold climates. Even though it is mild most of the year, little rain can be quite a change in the humidity level. The city witnessed two monsoons, a long one from mid-March through May and a mild one from late-October to December. During these two monsoon seasons, the months April and November are the wettest months as the rains are at a peak during these two months. The dry months in Nairobi are from July through October and January through February. The dry months actually help ease the heat and humidity in the air.
In terms of months, July and February are the best months to pick for a Nairobian rendezvous. The rain is extremely less to non-existent, and the climate is quite pleasant. You can undertake various outdoor activities too during these months and not worry about the scorching heat or humid weather. The temperatures during this time are also quite low and pleasant for Nairobi standards. July and August are recorded as the driest months in Nairobi, which works perfectly for you if you are planning for an excursion. You should make sure to carry the right clothes for your trip as the temperatures often confuse people. It can turn from hot to humid to cold in erratic schedules. Layering up would be ideal. The hotel prices don't really see a massive difference during the off and peak seasons. As there are many travellers who constantly travel to the city for professional reasons and conferences, the hotel prices in Nairobi remain constant. However, with the demand for accommodation, you might have a tough time booking a hotel in Nairobi. Hence, it would be best to make prior hotel bookings in Nairobi.
Places to visit in Nairobi
Nairobi's wildlife and green expanses are what draws tourists to the city of Kenya. The Nairobi National Park was established back in 1946 and has been fenced on three sides. The southern boundary has been kept open to enable migration of wildlife to move from the park to the Kitengela plains. The park is going through some concerns in the recent past due to the increasing exposure to humans and the rise in the livestock population. The city also has an adorable Giraffe Centre which is dedicated to protecting endangered giraffe from extinction. The natural sanctuary also works as an educational centre to teach visitors about the necessity of conserving wildlife. The city also has an Elephant and Rhino Nursery where African elephants and rhinos are bred. The place ensures to safeguard the lives of these two animals. The Ngong Hills is a famous place in Nairobi. The hills especially have a beautiful green landscape. You can trek up to the hill and watch the sunrise or the sunset at the summit as it is worth all the expedition. Close to the Nyong Hills was once a location for traditional colonial houses.
Things to do in Nairobi
At the foot of the towering Ngong Hills, you will find the beautiful and quaint Karen Blixen Museum. Although it is 10 km away from the city of Nairobi, the place has historical significance. It actually exhibits the life of the famous Danish author, Karen Blixen. While this is a lovely place to start learning more about the author and African history, you should also indulge in some outdoor activities. The Nairobi Safari Walk is basically crossing a specific bridge with nature on all four sides. While you walk on the bridge, you will actually get to witness some rhinos and other animals hanging around the estate too. You cannot miss the Maasai Market, which offers a plethora of colourful artefacts with traditional African designs. You can actually use this expedition to purchase some souvenirs for a friend and close family members from here.
Food and Restaurants in Nairobi
Kenya's capital is making quite a name for itself in the culinary world too. Nairobi's tea and coffee trade might be the most recognised worldwide. However, their fusion food is just as delicious as their coffee. You would be surprised and even slightly amazed by the beautiful melange of flavours and cuisines that the city's food establishments curate regularly. In fact, they continue to add more interesting dishes and meals on their menu as they experiment with spices and ingredients. There are dishes that range from slow-cooked Indian meat barbequed to a crisp to the classic Japanese sushi. Some of the food establishments in Nairobi will definitely amaze you and leave you wanting for more. You can start your food rendezvous in Nairobi from Hashmi BBQ, run by an Indian family. It is one of the most popular food joints In Nairobi and for all the right reasons. With their chooza chicken's sizzling sauce, poussin chips and a generous helping of garden salads, indulging here for some food would take you to nirvana and back. The spice is really spicy, so if you're not up for it, do not risk your gut.
Tamarind is another local restaurant which favours seafood and meat meals. Their highlights are deep-fried crab claws, garlic jumbo prawns and some South African sauvignon blanc. The place also serves vegetarian food, in case you are not too thrilled by their eccentric seafood spread. For the classic sushi, head to Misono. Not just their sushi but even their sashimi and teppanyaki will strike a chord with you. Plus, the place is run by a Japanese family so you wouldn't have to worry about authenticity. The food here is as authentic as it can get. Some other famous food establishments in Nairobi are Soi, Tatu, Maru's Bhajia Cage, AA Mithaiwalla, Talisman and Mambo Italia. Do not be surprised by the well-known Indian restaurants and food joints. They are quite popular in the city and one of the most sought-after ones too. However, if you do wish to explore something different, you should visit J's Fresh Bar. It is basically a British gastropub and has meals from the UK. You will find battered fish and chips, peppered squid and smoked scotch eggs. Plus, an in-house DJ would entertain you with whack music.
How to reach Nairobi (Transportation)
Flight connectivity to Nairobi from India is quite decent. Although it could be better than what the current state is of travelling to Nairobi from India, it's still quite good. There are many flights that fly to Nairobi. The most popular route to Nairobi is from Mumbai. In fact, you will find direct flights to Nairobi from Mumbai and at a very cheap ticket price. There are several African airlines that fly to the city from India. Airlines such as Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, RwandAir, Oman Air, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, EgyptAir, are the most prominent ones that have great connectivity from India to Nairobi. Another popular domestic route to Nairobi from India that has better connectivity aside from Mumbai is Ahmedabad. A majority of flights to Nairobi from India require layovers and connecting flights to reach Nairobi. Cities such as Addis Ababa, Kigali, Muscat, Dubai and Doha are some of the international routes taken to reach Nairobi. However, if you pick an African airline, especially Kenya Airways, you will be able to avoid all the layovers and changing of flights.
The flight duration to Nairobi from Mumbai is also quite decent as it would take approximately six hours and fifteen minutes to reach the Kenyan capital. Depending on which airlines you pick, the travel duration will also change as layovers will have to be taken into consideration. Nairobi to India is quite an expensive endeavour. However, from Mumbai, it is not so expensive. You can book cheap flight tickets to Nairobi from Mumbai. It wouldn't cost you much, and you wouldn't have to compromise on the flight duration as well. It costs between INR 22,000 to INR 25,000, to reach Nairobi from Mumbai. However, if you book from any other Indian city, the prices would see a tremendous surge. Another way how you can snag some cheap flight tickets to Nairobi would be by opting for online flight deals. It would be tough, and you will have to spend a lot of time on the internet to get a cheap flight deal to Nairobi. Since the accommodation prices remain close to constant in Nairobi, the best thing to do would be to club the flight and hotel bookings to Nairobi.
About Finnair
Finnair is the national flag carrier and one of the largest airlines of Finland. The airline's headquarters is at Vantaa, located on the grounds of the Helsinki Airport, which is also the hub of the airline. Finnair, along with its regional subsidiaries, has a monopoly in both, the domestic route and international route travel in the country. The government of Finland is the biggest shareholder in the airline and holds about 55.8 percent of its stakes. Finnair is also one of the members of the Oneworld airline alliance, along with British Airways and American Airlines. In 2017, the airline transported about 11.9 million passengers across 100 European, 7 North American and 20 Asian destinations. By the end of the same year, the airline also employed about 5,918 individuals to join their crew. Finnair is recognised as the sixth oldest airline to continue its operation since its inception. The airline has not witnessed fatal accidents or hull-loss incidents since 1963 and has consistently been listed to be one of the safest airlines in the world for travelling. In 2018, Hamburg aviation security office JACDEC, as well as the aviation magazine Aero International, announced Finnair to be one of the safest airlines in the world.
The airline was founded in 1923 by consul Bruno Lucander. It was started as Aero O/Y, and the company used the code AY. Lucander struck a deal with Junkers Flugzeugwerke AG to provide the airline with a fleet and technical support for the aircraft in return for 50 percent of shares in the airline. In the 1960s, Finnair also joined the jet age bandwagon by accommodating Rolls-Royce Avon-engined aircraft Caravelles to be part of its fleet. They were later exchanged for Pratt and Whitney's JT8D-engined Super Caravelles. Eventually, Finnair managed to get hold of its first US-manufactured jet aircraft, Douglas DC-8. With this, the airline managed to service its first international route with a transatlantic connection to New York in 1969. In 1975, the airline also accommodated its first wide-body aircraft with two DC-10-30 planes. In 1981, Finnair commenced its new international routes to Seattle and Los Angeles. The airline also became the first carrier to fly a non-stop flight from Western Europe to Japan. They used a modified McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30ER in 1983. Before this new route, all flights were required to travel via Moscow to reach Japan as the Soviet airspace had some restrictions. To avoid passing through the Soviet airspace, Finnair actually circumvented the flight route by flying directly from over the North Pole and back through the Bering Strait. The trip took nearly 13 hours.
By 1988, the airline also launched a few more routes such as the Helsinki-Beijing route, making it the first Western European airline to fly non-stop from Europe to China. In 1997, Finnair along with its subsidiaries Kar-Air and Finnaviation became carriers wholly owned by Finnair company. The subsidiaries were integrated with the mainline operations of Finnair, and the airline's company name was officially renamed to Finnair Oyj. Two years later, Finnair became part of the Oneworld airline alliance. In 2003, Finnair also acquired ownership of the Swedish low-cost carrier, FlyNordic, to mainly cater to the Scandinavian belt. Four years later though, the airline sold FlyNordic to the Norwegian Air Shuttle. In the same year, Finnair also became the first airline in the world to order the Airbus A350 XWB aircraft by placing an order for 11 of them. Over the years, the airline has transformed tremendously with additional routes and destinations added to their list. They have also partnered with several companies and airlines, including American Airlines, Japan Airlines, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Chinese JD.com, Deutsche Bahn (DB) and Marimekko.
Fleet size of Finnair
As of 2020, Finnair's fleet size stands at 84 aircraft in service with four orders that are awaiting delivery. Finnair's first narrow-body aircraft was delivered in 1999 by the manufacturer Airbus as Airbus A321 joined the fleet. As per current fleet, the airline has about 19 A321s. The same year, the airline also received its first Airbus A319 aircraft. Currently, the airline is equipped with 11 A319s out of which three have retired. The airline majorly uses its narrow-body fleet for domestic operations as well as for European flights. These include A319, A320 and A321. By 2009, Finnair welcomed its first A330-300 to join its fleet. With this, the airline has managed to accommodate eight Airbus A330-300s. The airline uses the A330s majorly for intercontinental flight operations from Helsinki to cities such as Delhi, New York, Miami, San Francisco, Xi'an, Chicago, Nanjing, Fukuoka, Chongqing, Nagoya and Puerto Plata.
They have also started using the flight for services to cities such as London, Brussels and Malaga. In 2007, the airline announced that it was confirming 11 Airbus A350 orders along with eight aircraft as optional. By 2014, they confirmed that they are extending their contract for additional Airbus A350 which needs to be delivered by 2018. The A350s were planned to be deployed for services to Bangkok, Shanghai and Beijing. As of 2019, along with the three cities mentioned, the airline uses its A350 fleet to connect to Ho Chi Minh City, Los Angeles, Seoul, Singapore, Krabi, Guangzhou, Osaka, Tokyo, Phuket and Puerto Vallarta. They also use it as morning flights to London for extra freight.
Baggage Allowance
Finnair's baggage allowance is pretty neat. For business class flights to or from Asia and intercontinental flights, the airline allows two pieces of baggage that should weigh no more than 32 kg. The dimensions of the baggage should also not extend beyond a total of 158 cm. This rule applies to the economy class cabin and all the ticket types. The economy class cabins allow a checked baggage weight of not more than 23 kg with passengers allowed to carry one piece of baggage. The rules apply to passengers who are travelling from economy flex and classic. Depending on whether you need to purchase extra baggage, the airline needs to be informed beforehand. You will need to purchase extra baggage allowance on their official website or at the check-in counter. Based on your ticket type, the airline would offer you the maximum weight that can be carried.
For hand luggage, Finnair allows two pieces which should be within the dimensions of 56 cm x 45 cm x 25 cm. One accessory bag is also allowed, which should be within the size of 40 cm x 30 cm x15 cm. The airline allows a maximum combined weight of 10 kg for the carry-on baggage for business class and premium passengers. Keeping the same dimensions in mind, the airline allows a maximum of 8 kg for economy class passengers.
In-flight services
Finnair's in-flight services are unmatched as they offer some of the best facilities onboard. This ranges from the exquisite seating structure to the in-flight entertainment and meals. Passengers can simply relax and enjoy the flight as the entertainment content, and friendly staff provide the best in-flight services.
Popular routes and top cities of Finnair
Finnair caters to a plethora of domestic routes and international routes from its hub in Helsinki. The airline connects with about 130 destinations across 40 countries that are spread out in Europe, Asia and North America. While a majority of big European airlines have developed their main-haul market to be in North America, Finnair has opted for the Asian market. The airline has about 20 destinations in Asia while it serves eight North American cities. Much of Finnair's destinations function on a seasonal basis. However, much recently, they have been switching the destinations to annual operations.
In the domestic route, Finnair has about ten destinations. Few of the domestic operations are undertaken in cooperation with or sometimes completely controlled by Finnair's subsidiary, Nordic Regional Airlines. The airline enjoys a monopoly in its long-haul route operations as there is no direct competition, except for the route to Tokyo. The airline has expressed its intentions to extend its Asian network and add new destinations to its list along with additional flights. The most popular route for Finnair is the Tokyo and Hong Kong international route.
Some of the top cities that Finnair operates to and from include Helsinki, Oulu, Stockholm, London, Paris, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Prague, Vaasa, Kokkola, Turku, Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Athens, Santorini, Delhi, Dublin, Milan, Rome, Osaka, Amsterdam, Oslo, Warsaw, Lisbon, Moscow, Barcelona, Geneva, Bangkok, Phuket, Dubai, Los Angeles, New York City and Ho Chi Minh City.
Why travel by Finnair?
Finnair has not just expanded its routes and international destinations but also upgraded some of its in-flight services and facilities to enable a smooth transit for passengers. The airline's website is the perfect place to book a Finnair flight ticket. Further, on the website, services such as web check-ins, updates on flight status and Finnair's flight schedules are also available. Details about the baggage allowance that passengers can carry based on their ticket type are present on the website, but the airline separately explains on the confirmation email too. The airline's web portal has all the necessary information.
