As part of its growing commitment to the African market, Etihad Airways has appointed Joan Mwanki as its new general manager based in Nairobi, Kenya.

With a strong track record of working in a commercial aviation environment, her key responsibilities will be to increase awareness of the Etihad Airways brand and develop and further grow the relationships with the key travel trade and corporate customers across East Africa.

Prior to joining Etihad Airways, Joan held key positions with codeshare partner, Kenya Airways, where she spent seven years developing an in-depth understanding of the business and leisure travel markets on the carrier’s African network, including Mozambique, Zimbabwe and most recently in Tanzania, covering mainland Tanzania and the island of Zanzibar.

Danny Barranger, Etihad Airways vice president, global sales, said: “Joan’s experience and extensive contacts within the East and Southern African travel industry will be invaluable as she continues to strengthen our presence in this market.

“I am confident that she will make a significant contribution in serving the growing numbers of guests travelling from across the region, through Nairobi to the UAE and beyond.”

Etihad Airways launched its daily service from Abu Dhabi to Nairobi in April 2012 and currently operates a two-class A320 aircraft on this route, configured to carry 16 passengers in Pearl Business and 120 passengers in Coral Economy class.