Several major international airlines are set to resume flights into and out of Kenya, following the easing of various restrictions of local and international travel by President Uhuru Kenyatta in his last address on Covid-19 on July 6.
Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala on Sunday, July 26, announced that airlines including Qatar Airways, Emirates, KLM, Air France, and British Airways were all set to resume flights to the country.
Importantly, passengers were urged to check information including directives published by governments of the destination countries before traveling.
British Airways will resume operations into and out of Nairobi from Saturday, August 1 while Qatar Airways and KLM will do so from Monday, August 3.
Notably, Emirates will operate a repatriation flight to Dubai on Tuesday, July 28, with passengers able to make purchases for onward destinations as long as they are compliant with the destination country’s travel guidelines.
Air France will resume flights to the country on Thursday, August 6, and will operate one flight to Paris every Friday.
Qatar Airways is set to operate 14 weekly flights, while British Airways will operate 4 weekly flights. KLM will also operate 4 weekly flights.
In his last Presidential address on Covid-19, President Uhuru Kenyatta had lifted restrictions allowing international flights to resume from Saturday, August 1.
The new normal, however, features in air travel where strict compliance with directives meant to curb the spread of the pandemic to be strictly adhered to.
Airlines across the world have been among the businesses hardest hit by their pandemic, with stock prices of major organizations tumbling.
The flights are expected to offer a boost to sectors of the economy including tourism, even though doubts persist on enforcement of various guidelines on the pandemic.
Before the first case of Covid-19 was reported in the country in March, the government has come under fire for allowing into the country flights including one from China, where the disease originated in Wuhan Province.
The suspension of international travel had seen various hotels in areas including the Coast region driven to the brink of financial collapse.
