Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, has opened its Emirates World store in Nairobi, Kenya, underscoring its commitment to deliver an elevated customer experience, alongside world-class products and services to the market. This opening introduces the airline’s refreshed retail store concept to Africa for the first time, with more stores planned across the market in the coming months.
Centrally located in the ultra-modern Cube, Riverside Drive, the Emirates World store offers customers expert travel advice, either from dedicated consultants or through self-service smart technologies, and immersive displays to bring the airline’s signature product closer to travellers from Kenya.
The Emirates World store was inaugurated by Adil Al Ghaith, Senior Vice President Commercial Operations, Center, in the presence of His Excellency, Dr Salim Alnaqbi, UAE Ambassador to Kenya. The opening ceremony was attended by other distinguished guests as well as trade and media partners.
Commenting on the milestone, Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer said, “We are pleased to bring our reimagined retail store concept to Africa for the first time, elevating our customer experience in Kenya, and then in more destinations across the continent in the coming months. The Emirates World store provides a flavour of the signature experience we offer, from friendly and insightful staff to hands-on showcases that bring our ‘Fly Better’ promise to life. We can’t wait to inspire our customers to discover more with Emirates when they visit the store.”
Personalised and dedicated levels of service
Delivering the elevated hospitality and personalised experience that Emirates is renowned for, the Emirates World store is designed to enrich customers’ experience from the moment they walk through the door, with a warm and inviting space that welcomes every guest. The retail space is over 330 m2 and designed as an open-plan, lounge-like environment, in the airline’s signature light and airy colour palette.
Guests can explore the iconic Emirates A380 Onboard Lounge experience with an immersive, full-size showcase or explore the smart technology experiences such as the ‘selfie mirror’ which snaps pictures of travellers against scenic destination backdrops.
Six customer service counters staffed by expert consultants are on hand to plan travel itineraries, supporting reservations and ticketing as well as general enquiries, ensuring a seamless journey at every touchpoint. The consultants can also offer insight into Emirates Holidays, the airline’s tour operating arm, which provides customers with bespoke packages to unlock the finest travel experiences. Kiosks empower travellers with a self-service touchpoint, while minimising wait time and offering a faster service.
Reinforcing Emirates’ commitment to Kenya
Emirates is fast approaching an important milestone in Nairobi: it’s 30th anniversary. Since the first flight in October 1995, Emirates has flown over five million passengers to and from Kenya on double daily flights from Dubai.
In 2023, Emirates established an interline partnership with Kenya Airways, providing seamless connectivity to an additional 28 points in Africa through Nairobi, including Mombasa, Kigali, Bangui, Nampula, Kilimanjaro and more. In the last year, over 12,000 passengers have taken advantage of the agreement, exploring more with frictionless travel.
Beyond its operations, Emirates supports three Kenyan humanitarian organisations focused on child welfare through the Emirates Airline Foundation. The Little Prince Nursery and Primary School provides holistic education and rehabilitation for children, and the Foundation has supported its meal programme since 2014; Alfajiri Street Kids offers a safe space and a range of programmes focusing on art therapy for more than 200 children; and finally, the Foundation sponsors four-year scholarships for 10 students at the Starehe Boys’ Centre which delivers academic support for underprivileged boys and includes a high school and multiple tertiary programmes.
