Aviation
Kenya Chooses to Extend Ban on UK Flights
The ban on passenger flights between Nairobi and London has been extended by a month.
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) in a released statement said that the ban would remain effective for 30 days therefore UK-Kenya flights will remain in force until June 5th.
“The suspension on flights between Kenya and UK is still on. We have extended the Notice to the Airmen by another one month,” said KCAA director-general Gilbert Kibe.
The previous ban on the flights was set to end on May 5th.
This comes as a huge blow to Kenya Airways as the courier service had already started to re-open bookings for the route in anticipation of the summer season.
KQ announced to its customers through a text message that all customers were now welcomed to start their bookings.
“Our flights to London are back, book your flight ticket and travel safely to reconnect with family and friends you have been missing,” the airline said in the message.
All non-citizens coming from the UK have also been directed to continue with the 14-day self-isolation protocol to be allowed into the country.
For the UK, Kenya and other 42 countries are still on the ‘red list’. Britons coming from these nations are expected to follow a 10-day compulsory quarantine in a government-approved hotel at their cost.
The tourism sector had been hit hard by the pandemic with the figures reducing drastically and swiftly. The gradual return of tourism activities is imminent as international and domestic flights resume.
The country recorded a gradual growth in arrivals into the country since the resumption of international flights last year. There were 14,049 visitors in August, 26,018 in September, and 39,894 in October.
The Ministry of Tourism announced that Kenya would lose up to Sh80 billion from tourism last year after an impressive performance in 2019 where the sector earned Sh163.6 billion, a 3.9 percent rise from Sh157.4 billion in 2018.
By Joy Ngoiri
