The flag carrier airline of Kenya; Kenya Airways is set to recommence operations on its Nairobi to London route from the 26th of June 2021. This is coming after the Kenyan government approved the restoration of flights in preparation for the incoming summer tourism period.
The National flag carrier airline; Kenya Airways had initially suspended all flights on the route in April as a result of a directive by the Kenyan government which banned all flights to Kenya from the United Kingdom (UK) and to the same destination, from Kenya.
According to Business Daily Africa Dennis Kashero who is the Director of Corporate Communications for Kenya Airways stated that, “We are starting with one at the moment, but we shall add more frequencies if we realise that there is a rise in forward bookings.”
The Director General of the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA); Gilbert Kibe made it known on Friday the 11th of June 2021 that ban had been lifted. The announcement was carried out through a Notice To the Airmen (NOTAM) after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had stated that it had allowed air travel between both countries to resume.
The East African nation of Kenya had earlier on and as a retaliatory decision, suspended all operations on the Kenya to the United Kingdom (UK) route. The decision was made because the United Kingdom’s government had placed Nairobi, Kenya on its ‘Red List’. This essentially made it impossible for Kenyans to travel to the United Kingdom (UK).
In 2020 a sharp drop in summer bookings led to Kenya Airways seeing their losses almost triple to 36.2 billion Kenyan Shillings in the financial year that ended in December 2020. The airline went deeper into losses following a drop in passenger numbers as a result of the still ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.
Kenya Airways also popularly referred to as KQ, usually makes a substantial amount of its revenue at the beginning of the summer season that occurs from June to September. During that period, the demand for air travel is significantly higher.
Passenger revenue during the same period also dropped by 69 billion Kenyan Shillings due to the fact that airlines all over the world were grounded as various countries made the decision to close up their airspace.
Kenya Airways during its recent investors briefing stated that, “We lost the summer booking during the review period and this is the time when we make the bulk of our money.”
During the same period under review the total number of passengers carried, reduced from 5.2 million a year to 1.8 million. This signified the biggest drop in the history of the airline.
The United Kingdom (UK) is one of the major destinations for Kenya Airways. The airline uses the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport as its focal point and transit Centre for passengers coming in from other countries who would like to connect to the United Kingdom (UK).
Visitors from the United Kingdom (UK) are among some of the major visitors to Kenya, and play a quite significant part in the tourism sector in Kenya.
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