Kenya Airways suspends flights to Kinshasa over staff detained by DRC military

Kenya Airways has announced that it is suspending flights to Kinshasa over the continued detention of its employees by the Democratic Republic of Congo army.

The national carrier said in a statement that it is unable to support its flights without its workers.

“Due to the continued detention of KQ employees by the Military Intelligence Unit in Kinshasa, Kenya Airways (KQ) is unable to support our flights without personnel effectively,” said KQ chief executive officer Allan Kilavuka.

“As a result, we reached a difficult decision to suspend flights to Kinshasa effective 30th April 2024 until we can effectively support these flights.”

Kilavuka said that the continued detention of its employees has made it difficult for the airline to supervise its operations in Kinshasa, which include customer service, ground handling, cargo activities, and generally ensuring safe, secure, and efficient operations.

“We also ask that our staff be treated humanely and respectfully during this unlawful detention. We sincerely apologize to our customers for any inconvenience caused by this situation. We assure you that your safety and well-being, as well as that of our staff, is our number one priority,” said Kilavuka in the statement.

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KQ has been protesting the arrest of its staff members who were arrested over the alleged missing customs documents of a cargo that was to be transported by the airline. Kenya Airways, however, says that the cargo in question was not uplifted or accepted by them due to incomplete documentation.

“Kenya Airways confirms that on Friday, April 19th, 2024, two of our employees at our airport office in Kinshasa were arrested and continue to be detained by the Military Intelligence Unit known as Detection Militaire des Activities Anti Patrie (DEMIAP),” KQ had said in an earlier statement last week.

The employees were arrested by the military intelligence unit.

“We continue cooperating with the investigating agencies and the relevant Government entities in both DRC and Kenya to ensure this matter is resolved. We ask that the Military court’s direction that they be released to allow due process to be respected so that our innocent staff can return to their families and everyday lives without harassment.”

The airline advised affected customers to contact the customer care team at +254 711 024 747, WhatsApp at +254 705 474 747, or email [email protected].