Kenya's national carrier, Kenya Airways, announced Thursday that it will offer flights to western African nations of the Republic of Congo and Benin starting next month.

In a statement issued in Nairobi, the company said it would on October 6 offer flights to Brazzaville with connections to Cotonouin Benin, departing from the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Tuesdays and Fridays.

"The commercial viability of these routes is very promising with both countries showing strong economic performance and increasing business activity resulting from growing oil exploration and extraction activities in the area," said Hugh Frazer, Kenya Airways' commercial director.

The rapidly expanding airline said the new destinations are part of the airline's strategic expansion plan which aims at providing the widest coverage of African destinations and linking them to key destinations in Europe and Asia.

"All these natural reserves have proved an irresistible attraction to foreign investors and as the leading African airline, we intend to provide the most efficient and reliable connections for all those traveling in and out of Brazzaville," said Fraser.

The announcement comes shortly after a recent route expansion of three weekly non-stop flights to Charles De Gaulle International Airport in Paris, scheduled to begin in late October.

Kenya Airways, the fastest growing airline in Africa, has been pursuing a network expansion strategy that aims at linking all Africa cities and making it the airline of choice for travelers in the continent.

To provide more connectivity, the airline recently added Istanbul, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Thailand, Maputo and Freetown to its route network.